The Essex Rebels basketball team, based at the University of Essex’s Sports Arena, have kindly donated two full team kits to Colchester Museums’ historic collections, to help preserve them for future generations.
Both the Essex Rebels women’s and men’s team play at a professional level and fly the flag up and down the country for Britain’s First City and Oldest Recorded Town, Colchester.
The team’s club badge and kit, designed by local Colchester graphic designer John Luu, portrays Colchester’s connection to the Romans through a depiction of Queen Boudica. Its name, the Rebels, is a nod to Queen Boudica’s Iceni rebellion against the Romans and the reputation of Essex University for creating students impatient for change.
During games, the teams and audiences are entertained by mascot Queen B, a larger-than-life fun team mascot inspired by the legendary Queen Boudica.
The kits, along with the owners' personal stories and links to Colchester’s famous Iceni rebellion, will add to an ever-growing collection of modern representations of the famous warrior Queen Boudica in Colchester Museum’s stores.
Councillor Darius Laws, Portfolio Holder for Economy, Business and Heritage, said: “We are thrilled to take into the museum's collection the Essex Rebels kit. The Castle is Europe’s largest Norman Keep and was the central focus for Boudica’s revenge on the Romans. It then seems fitting that the kits should be taken into the Colchester Museums care in order to preserve and tell the story of Colchester’s long and bloody connection to Boudica.
By drawing inspiration from Boudica for our name and badge design, I hope that we can also play our part in telling the story of the history of Britain’s oldest recorded town, and perhaps adding our own chapter to that history as our teams achieve success in the future.”
Pictured above, L to R: Essex Rebels player Lucrezia Costa, Cllr Darius Laws, and Essex Rebels player Jordan Gray.
Page last reviewed: 16 March 2022