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Colcheco

Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Colcheco, 37 Layer Road, Colchester.
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💚 Celebrating the best of Colchester
🌿 Community • Sustainability • Local stories
🤝 Connecting people, businesses & good ideas
🫙 Refill shop is now Sunwheel Refills run by Lucy

08/09/2026

🎙️ Colcheco is taking to the airwaves…

Talking sustainability, community, small business, events, interesting people and anything in between… whilst playing some of my chosen music! 🎶

It feels a bit surreal saying that, but last night I met with the guys behind Activ8 Radio - a new independent Colchester-based radio station launching at the end of September.

My last post resonated with them, so they reached out, we met at their studio on the Hythe and the rest, they say, is history!

They already have some fantastic local people lined up and their aim is to bring together the Colchester community, talking about everything we have going on in our little town… errr, city… ahem! 😂

I never imagined Colcheco would have its own radio show, but we all agreed there is definitely a gap there — and it feels like a great opportunity to bring together and shine a light on all the good things happening in and around Colchester.

They are putting the schedule together now, so I need to decide over the next few days whether to take on a one or two-hour show, and whether it will be weekly, fortnightly or monthly!

I’d love your input…

Would you tune in to hear about…

🌍 Sustainability and creative solutions to waste
🏛️ Colchester’s history and hidden stories
👋 Interesting local people and their stories
🏢 Small and independent businesses
💡 Community projects and people making a difference
📅 Events and things happening locally
🎶 …and maybe some questionable music choices from me!

All shows will be recorded and available online too, so you won’t have to be listening live to catch them.

So tell me… what would you like to hear, and how often would you tune in? 🎙️👇

I’m really excited to see where this new adventure takes me — and hopefully, you’ll come along for the ride!

04/09/2026

🌱 Colcheco is entering a new chapter — and I’m starting by listening.

Over the next few weeks, I’m going to be meeting and talking to people across Colchester and the surrounding area.

I want to discover more about the people, businesses, community groups and projects that make our area what it is — particularly those doing interesting things around community, reuse, repair, recycling, waste and sustainability.

I want to hear the positive stories, of course, but also the challenges and struggles.

What have people tried? What works? What doesn’t? What gets in the way? What have they learnt? And where might there be opportunities to do things differently or connect people and ideas?

There are so many fantastic community projects happening locally that I think more people could benefit from knowing about. People are giving their time, creating opportunities, helping others, solving problems and bringing communities together — often without much attention.

I’ll be sharing some of the conversations as Colcheco Spotlight features, because I want this page to become a place where we discover those stories together.

So I’d love your recommendations.

👉 Who should I be talking to?

👉 Is there a local person, business, community group or project whose story you think more people should know?

👉 Are you involved in something interesting yourself?

👉 Or perhaps you have a problem you’ve encountered and an idea for a better solution?

Send me a message or tag someone below. 💕

I’m not coming with all the answers. I’m coming with questions, curiosity and an open mind.

I’m looking forward to seeing where the conversations take Colcheco. 🌱

*Photo taken this week at Level Best Enterprises - a brilliant local example of a space connecting people and ideas!

26/08/2026

Castle Park Events - 20 years apart…! 🎶

I came across this photo from July 2006, when I went to Party in the Park in Colchester.

The line-up? A Madness tribute act and an ABBA tribute act!!!

Fast forward 20 years and on Sunday I was back in Castle Park — this time watching Bastille as part of the Colchester Castle Summer Series.

I actually won the tickets thanks to Asda 🎟️

It got me thinking about how much Colchester has changed over those 20 years.

Castle Park is such a familiar space to so many of us, but it’s lovely to see it being used in different ways and bringing people together.

From a Madness tribute act and an ABBA tribute act in 2006…

➡️ to Bastille in 2026.

20 years apart, but the same city — and the same Castle Park. ❤️

And my memories of Castle Park go beyond the music too. I remember helping out at ‘Round Table’ fundraising events, rowing on the boating lake and even rolling down the grass hills! 😂

It made me wonder how many of you have your own memories of events — or just spending time — in Castle Park over the years.

What do you remember going there for?

I’d love to hear your memories! 👇

Colchester City Council
In Colchester

21/08/2026

I popped into Sunwheel Refills today to do some of my own refills — something I’ve always enjoyed doing — and it was great to see Lucy and the shop again.

I also bumped into a couple of former Colcheco customers, which was such a lovely surprise! 💚

One of my refills today was FILL hand gel. It cost just 30p to refill my existing bottle, compared with the £1.50 I paid for the original branded product years ago. A great little example of how refilling can save money as well as packaging. 🌱

Lucy does all the weighing and filling for you, and she also has a free book swap running in the pop-up space next door. You can donate books or take one away completely free — the door is open during the shop’s opening hours until the end of August. 📚

And Lucy and I ended up chatting to a customer about the Olio app too!

It was actually really lovely being there as a customer rather than the person behind the counter — although clearly I haven’t quite switched off the part of me that loves sharing ways to reduce waste! 💚

If you’re in Colchester, pop to Layer Road to join the refill revolution... ♻️

14/08/2026

A very hot and sweaty delivery today…! 🥵😂

I popped over to Wivenhoe to see Linda Consciously Clothed who kindly agreed to take the bras that had been collected at Colcheco for Against Breast Cancer. 💗

Linda also has a bra bank, so I took along a great big box AND a bin bag full — which seemed like a brilliant idea until I had to carry them down Wivenhoe High Street in this heat! 😂

It was lovely to see Linda and to know that all those bras that were donated through Colcheco are continuing their journey to raise funds for such a great cause.

A big thank you to everyone who donated! 💕♻️

I still have the bra bank collection box from Colcheco, so if you’re a local business and would like to take it on and collect bras for Against Breast Cancer, please let me know. It would be lovely to see the collection continue somewhere else locally. 💗

And if you have bras lurking in a drawer that you no longer need, you know where to take them! 😉

13/08/2026

I’ve just signed up for this free Sustainable Futures event at Colchester Zoo organised by Colchester City Council Tendring District Council and Braintree District Council 🌱

It looks like a really useful day for local businesses and not-for-profits, with practical advice on reducing costs, energy efficiency, sustainability, the circular economy, procurement and carbon reduction.

There’ll also be experts and support organisations there, plus the opportunity to have one-to-one conversations.

I thought it was worth sharing as I know quite a few of you are interested in sustainability and running more environmentally friendly businesses.

🎟️ Free tickets are available through Eventbrite — I’ll pop the booking link below:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/free-sustainable-futures-business-event-tickets-1990942805526

01/08/2026

A new chapter for Colcheco… 🌿

After five incredible years running the Colcheco refill shop, it’s time to share what has been happening behind the scenes.

As many of you will know, I have now stepped away from running the shop. I’m absolutely delighted that Lucy has taken over the business and is continuing the refill journey under the name Sunwheel Refills from the same much-loved premises in Layer Road. If you’re looking to refill your household essentials, and shop more sustainably, please continue to support her – she’s doing a fantastic job.

Closing this chapter has given me time to reflect on what I enjoyed most over the last five years. It wasn’t just the refills – it was meeting people, supporting independent businesses, connecting our community, reducing waste and discovering the brilliant things happening across Colchester.

So Colcheco isn’t disappearing.

Instead, it’s evolving.

Over the coming months, I’ll be sharing more local stories, celebrating independent businesses, highlighting community projects and events, exploring ways to keep useful items in circulation rather than sending them to landfill, and shining a light on the people who make our area such a special place to live.

I’m not entirely sure where this journey will lead yet, but that’s part of the excitement. If the last five years taught me anything, it’s that wonderful things happen when communities come together.

Thank you to everyone who has supported Colcheco so far. I hope you’ll join me for this next adventure too.

Rachel 🌿

26/05/2026

Just me holding the fort this week while Jo is on leave and Lucy works behind the scenes getting ready for the next refill chapter. ✨

Opening hours are a little reduced as stock is now condensed down, but there are still plenty of bargains and favourites to stock up on before the refurb/rebrand begins…

🫧 25% off all UpCircle skincare.
🧺 Reduced household items.
♻️ Most Fill products still in stock.
🫙 Pre-loved jars available.
🥣 Pre-filled paper bags & jars ready to grab.

Saturday may potentially be the last proper opening day before things start changing, so if you’ve been meaning to pop in, now’s the time. 💚

I’ll still hold the lease for June, so depending on what stock is left I may open on the odd extra day — but for now these are the main hours for the week.

If you’re local this half term, pop down to Layer Road and help us clear the remaining stock before the next chapter begins 💚

Rachel xx

24/05/2026

🥖 Black Cat Sourdough Pop Up Bakery is here this morning! 🐈⬛

Freshly baked this morning at their Wivenhoe micro bakery:
✨ Sourdough breads
✨ Focaccia
✨ Doughnuts

Available today from 9:30am – 12pm.

The refill shop is open too, with reduced food stock as we begin winding down ahead of the upcoming rebrand & revamp — but there are still plenty of lovely bits available, including Fill wash up, laundry liquid and fabric conditioner.

📍 37 Layer Road, Colchester, Essex, CO2 7JW

21/05/2026

As we begin preparing the shop for Lucy’s upcoming refit, now is a great time to pop in and stock up on your favourite Fill products while current stock is still available ✨

Our food range is now more condensed down as we gradually clear space ready for the next chapter of the shop — although there are still some cupboard favourites available!

Current Fill stock includes:

🫧 Cleaning — Everything Clean, Toilet Clean, Bathroom Clean, Steel & Glass, Laundry Liquid, Fabric Conditioner, Cleaning Vinegar, Wash Up & Rinse Aid.

🧺 Powders — Laundry Powder, Dishwash Powder, Scrub Powder, Destainer & Bicarbonate of Soda.

🛁 Body & Hair — Body Wash, Hand Soap, Shampoo, Conditioner, Micellar Water, Hand Cream & Hand Gel.

Please note we are currently operating on reduced opening hours — but we’re open this bank holiday weekend; Saturday 10am - 2pm and also Sunday morning 930am - 12pm alongside the Black Cat Sourdough pop-up bakery. 🍞

Thank you for supporting us all during this exciting transition. 💚

Address

37 Layer Road
Colchester
CO27JW

Telephone

+441206762409

Website

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