WITH the new decade now in full swing, it seems appropriate to look back at some of the moments happening ten years ago.

Among them was a £1million windfall for the Walton lifeboat volunteers in January 2010.

An elderly woman, who used to live in a cliff-top home and watch the lifeboat go out on rescues, left the Walton and Frinton RNLI branch its biggest-ever bequest.

The turn of the year also saw days of heavy snow in Colchester and families enjoyed some alpine fun on the slopes of Castle Park.

A new taxi rank opened in Head Street in Colchester, along with the new rank in Queen Street.

Meanwhile, Europe’s reigning yo-yo champion finally handed over his title after 57 years. Don Robertson, of Braintree, who was 81 in January 2010, even had a book published, called 50 Tricks with a Yo-Yo.

Later in the year the Moot Hall at Colchester’s Town Hall saw a revamp costing £285,000. The project, which was part of a £1.6million refurbishment of the Town Hall, was completed in May 2010.

The Moot Hall had been closed for four months while work was carried out to restore it to its former glory.

In September workmen from Cre8tive Construction dug foundations in Lower Castle Park in Colchester for a giant model of a dinosaur to be installed. At 16 metres high, the creation by artists Heather and Ivan Morison dwarfed the surroundings.