PAINTING empty shops, an interactive map of the town centre and a Colchester gift card are ideas battling it out to bring tourists to Colchester.

Organisations from across the country yesterday turned up at the Mercury Theatre for Revive and Thrive’s second national conference.

They are pitching ideas to help revamp the town, with people able to vote on their favourite.

Businesses will then work together to try and make it happen.

A pop-up shop which would train all employees in the town centre to be ambassadors for Colchester and extending Colchester’s Christmas lights are other options also being put forward.

The winner will be announced today.

Karen Taylor, founder of Colchester Soup, lured Revive and Thrive to the town after hearing about its first conference last year.

She said: “It is going brilliantly.

“We have people here from York, Scotland and Gloucester. Some only came for a day and have now said they’re going to stay overnight.

“All of these ideas are new and exciting.

“I hold out high hopes for this. We have the momentum.

“We are very good at blaming the council and expecting them to do these things. And we shouldn’t. We should be doing it, there’s nothing stopping us.”

The conference’s aim is to help Colchester Council, businesses and the community to work more closely together.

Several options are on the table for people to choose from.

One is a Colchester gift card which could be spent in any shop in the town centre, much like a shopping centre gift card.

Another idea is to revamp empty independent shops to look as if businesses are in them, while creating competitions such as asking people to find different objects in the paintings.

Once a winner is announced, Colchester businesses and the community would then work together to try and make it happen.

Matt Powell, of Revive and Thrive, said Mrs Taylor had pitched Colchester last year for the second conference and after visiting the town earlier this year the group agreed.

He said: “It really is down to her we are here.

“We already know the council, businesses and the community are working together. I think they just need to continue to work more closely together to make things happen.”

A winner will be announced this afternoon.