CALLING all foodies!

An events organiser is asking for Colchester to come together to promote all that is good about the town.

Don Quinn, who organises the Colchester Food and Drink Festival, the Medieval Oyster Fayre, Party in the Park and the Colchester Slow Food Festival, is launching a new event to “put the town on the map”.

The Colchester Festival will last at least two days and will take place on the August Bank Holiday in Lower Castle Park.

Mr Quinn said: “The concept is that we all come together in Lower Castle Park.

“We want to get all that is really good and wonderful about Colchester and tell people: ‘This is your opportunity to shout from the rooftops why you are here in Colchester and why you’re proud of it.’

“There are 102 restaurants in Colchester town centre - wouldn’t it be great if we could get them altogether in one place?”

The exact details of the event, including prices, are still being worked out but Mr Quinn said children will have free entry.

Mr Quinn added: “There is so much history to this town and we’d like to get the museums involved.

“There are things in the town which people don’t even know are here and getting together for a festival in Lower Castle Park, which is accessible to everyone, might change that.”

Mr Quinn also said he hoped local bands could be found to provide a soundtrack to the weekend.

He added: “We want this to be Colchester, Colchester, Colchester.”

Traditionally the Colchester Free Festival takes place on the weekend over the second August Bank Holiday.

But this year’s event was cancelled in February and it is understood there are no official plans to re-start it.