Throughout 2024, Colchester City Council will be sharing Your Stories from staff, volunteers, councillors, and residents, all who make huge and often unseen contributions to Colchester, to mark its golden 50-year anniversary.
From the 1970s right through to the present day, these incredible people have been helping to shape Colchester and support the people that live here – and they’ve got some brilliant stories to share. Here are three from long-serving employees from the council.
Read Tim Pickard story, who has worked for the council for 47 years and is its longest serving member of staff. As you will read, he has been working, often behind the scenes, to keep Colchester looking great for all that live, work, and visit the city. Having joined the council straight from school on a carpentry apprenticeship, he has enjoyed learning new skills throughout his career, moving between departments. From installing and repairing benches and being a member of the winter gritting team to helping look after Colchester’s much-loved greenspaces, he’s certainly touched a lot of people's lives in one way or another. Read Tim’s Story.
Glen Tokley’s story shows how proud he is to have worked for the council for 32 years (and 59 days as of 30 April 2024, to be precise). He was in between jobs when he saw an advert for a temporary Community Charge (poll tax) Officer. 32 years later, he is loving his job working in the ICT team. Glen is the star that ensures that when you call the council, you can easily and seamlessly navigate the routing call options (the press 1 for xx) to get your call to the right area. He will also be the one in the future who will configure new contact channels such as WhatsApp (not available just yet). Read Glen’s Story.
Yovone Cook has worked for the council for 34 years, and even has a pond named after her at High Woods Country Park! Originally starting her career at the council as a Countryside Ranger, Yovone now works as the Community Partnerships Officer supporting resettlement of refugees, asylum seekers and our diverse communities in Colchester. She works with partner and voluntary organisations to support these groups to integrate into their new lives in our city. Read Yovone’s Story.
Pam Donnelly, Chief Executive at Colchester City Council, said: “As we reach our 50th anniversary, we are keen to share stories from our staff to bring to life the past 50 years. The council has changed massively since the seventies, so over the next few months it will be great see personal stories from across the decades. If you would like to get involved, please do get in touch with our communications team.”
The council will continue to mark this half century by celebrating and sharing ‘Your Stories’ from staff, volunteers, and residents – all who make a huge and often unseen contributions to Colchester. These stories will be celebrating the hard work of employees, volunteers, and residents – all who have a passion for our great city in the past, now and in the future. If you would like to get involved, get in touch by emailing communications@colchester.gov.uk.
From the 1970s right through to the present day, these incredible people have been helping to shape Colchester and support the people that live here – and they’ve got some brilliant stories to share. Here are three from long-serving employees from the council.
Read Tim Pickard story, who has worked for the council for 47 years and is its longest serving member of staff. As you will read, he has been working, often behind the scenes, to keep Colchester looking great for all that live, work, and visit the city. Having joined the council straight from school on a carpentry apprenticeship, he has enjoyed learning new skills throughout his career, moving between departments. From installing and repairing benches and being a member of the winter gritting team to helping look after Colchester’s much-loved greenspaces, he’s certainly touched a lot of people's lives in one way or another. Read Tim’s Story.
Glen Tokley’s story shows how proud he is to have worked for the council for 32 years (and 59 days as of 30 April 2024, to be precise). He was in between jobs when he saw an advert for a temporary Community Charge (poll tax) Officer. 32 years later, he is loving his job working in the ICT team. Glen is the star that ensures that when you call the council, you can easily and seamlessly navigate the routing call options (the press 1 for xx) to get your call to the right area. He will also be the one in the future who will configure new contact channels such as WhatsApp (not available just yet). Read Glen’s Story.
Yovone Cook has worked for the council for 34 years, and even has a pond named after her at High Woods Country Park! Originally starting her career at the council as a Countryside Ranger, Yovone now works as the Community Partnerships Officer supporting resettlement of refugees, asylum seekers and our diverse communities in Colchester. She works with partner and voluntary organisations to support these groups to integrate into their new lives in our city. Read Yovone’s Story.
Pam Donnelly, Chief Executive at Colchester City Council, said: “As we reach our 50th anniversary, we are keen to share stories from our staff to bring to life the past 50 years. The council has changed massively since the seventies, so over the next few months it will be great see personal stories from across the decades. If you would like to get involved, please do get in touch with our communications team.”
The council will continue to mark this half century by celebrating and sharing ‘Your Stories’ from staff, volunteers, and residents – all who make a huge and often unseen contributions to Colchester. These stories will be celebrating the hard work of employees, volunteers, and residents – all who have a passion for our great city in the past, now and in the future. If you would like to get involved, get in touch by emailing communications@colchester.gov.uk.
Page last reviewed: 1 May 2024