THE Collier family knows Colchester like no other family.

Having rooted themselves in the town more than 200 years ago, they have seen every change, both good and bad.

The family wants to make a difference to people in the area where they and their business have been established for so many years.

They have just launched a new charitable fund aimed at helping vulnerable people.

The Collier Family Fund will be managed by the independent charitable trust Essex Community Foundation and its launch is another milestone in the history of the Colliers.

The family-based business, Collier and Catchpole, an independent builders’ merchant, is still thriving.

The new project will give grants to charities and community groups working in the Colchester area.

For Jane Collier, a widely-travelled and sport-loving great-grandmother, the charitable fund is the culmination of a lifetime of giving by herself and her late husband, Roy.

She said: “I know Roy would have been delighted by the fact the charitable fund has been established in the family’s name.

“We have always been involved in the community, not only through the business, but also through politics and voluntary work.

“I was with the Citizen’s Advice Bureau in Colchester for nearly 20 years and Roy was a magistrate, so we both saw the problems faced by people who came from all walks of life.”

After Roy died in 1998, Jane often thought about setting up a charity independently and her accountant introduced her to Essex Community Foundation.

Jane added: “Although I have lived and travelled abroad quite a bit, the heart of our family is in Colchester.

“We want our fund to make a difference to people in the area where our family and business have been established for so many years.

“Our first round of grants will be distributed soon.

“There are so many wonderful charities and organisations that need help but at the moment I am particularly keen to help people who are homeless and need some help to get themselves back on track.”

Supporting people specifically from Colchester was a crucial part of the plan.

Roy was born and grew up in Colchester. In 1955 he joined his father, Samuel, in the family business, Collier (Stanway) Limited, a gravel, lime and cement merchants.

When the building’s lease came up for renewal in 1975, Roy decided to set up a builders’ merchant operating from the current site in Colchester.

Jane, who grew up on a fruit farm in Frating and has four children, nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

She first met Roy at the Officers’ Club in Colchester and they were married in 1957. She was soon involved in the family business as company secretary and wages clerk.

The couple had a passion for politics and were founder members of Stanway Conservative Association.

As well as her work with the CAB, Jane was chairwoman of governors of the Gilberd School and of Colchester Sixth Form College. In 1985, she was awarded an OBE for services to the community and politics.

Jane smiles when she remembers Roy teasing her about being a magpie when she had collected an array of baby food jars.

“After that, anything I collected or stored was called Magpie-ing” said Jane.

But there is a stark difference between Jane and magpies, as the birds have an instinct for taking but her focus has always been on giving. For more information about the fund, visit www.essexcommunityfoundation.org.uk or call 01245 355947.