Councillor Nick Cope

We are deeply saddened by the passing of council member and former Mayor, Nick Cope.

Nick’s warm and thoughtful personality made him a dedicated and respected councillor. He represented New Town and Christ Church Ward since 1994 and had a proud record of standing up for his community and championing environmental causes. He served as Mayor of Colchester in 2019/20.

His Mayoral year was memorable for lasting nearly 18 months instead of the normal 12 months, due to Covid. He was asked to stay on until October and oversaw the initial civic response to the pandemic.

The theme of Nick’s mayoralty was ‘Young and Old: Building a Healthy Environment’ and his charities were: Age Concern; Army Benevolent Fund; Colchester Chinese Society; Colchester Citizen's Advice Bureau; Colchester Food Bank; The Mercury Theatre; MIND, and the Youth Enquiry Service.

Nick also signed a bond of friendship with Renkum, the Dutch district including the town of Oosterbeek, where soldiers landed and made their final stand during the Battle of Arnhem. Nick and Liz attended a service in Arnhem marking the 75^th Anniversary of the battle.

These things and more brought him much respect from his fellow councillors, colleagues, and residents. The borough owes him a huge debt of gratitude for his 28 years of service.

Colchester Borough Council invites you to express your sympathies and pay your respects to the memory of Councillor Nick Cope. Please send your messages to mayor@colchester.gov.uk.