A BASKETBALL team has donated its kit to a museum to help preserve it for future generations.

The Essex Rebels basketball team, based at the University of Essex’s sports arena, has donated two full team kits to Colchester Museums’ historic collections.

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 Colchester.

The team’s club badge and kit, designed by 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.

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During games, the teams and audiences are entertained by mascot Queen B, a larger-than-life fun team mascot inspired by the legendary Queen.

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 in Colchester Museum’s stores.

Colchester Council’s history boss Darius Laws 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 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.”

Dave Parry, director of sport at the University of Essex, said: “We are thrilled the Essex Rebels kits have been taken into the historic collection at Colchester Castle.

“Our teams are entertaining and inspiring families and children across Colchester and the wider area through their on-court sporting performance, as well as the school visits and community activities they do.

“By drawing inspiration from Boudica for our name and badge design, I hope 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.”