Celebrating County Durham Day

Cllr Andrew Husband, Leader of Durham County Council, alongside Cllr Karen Allison, Cabinet member for leisure, tourism and high street, and Cllr Howard Brown, Cabinet member for adults and health services, at Wharton Park.

A series of free events will take place this week to celebrate County Durham Day.

Durham County Council has organised a range of family-friendly activities on Friday (20 March) to showcase the county’s heritage, history and community spirit.

The council’s libraries will mark the day with engaging activities designed to bring communities together and honour the county’s rich identity.

Visitors will find colourful displays of local history books, publications by Durham authors and stories inspired by the landscapes and heritage of County Durham, alongside blue and yellow displays reflecting the colours of the county flag.

Children can celebrate what makes the county unique at the council’s LEGO club library sites, with a series of LEGO challenges at each library inviting builders of all ages to create blue and yellow structures.

County Durham Day will also be dominating the social media pages of County Durham Libraries, featuring photographs of library displays and LEGO creations. Blaze the Book Dragon, the library mascot, will also be going on a countywide adventure with his friend Rory from The Story.

Meanwhile, iconic sites across the county will be lit up in blue and yellow to mark the day, including Durham Town Hall and The Story.

The Story is also offering visitors free spotlight tours to share some popular stories from County Durham’s history.

The council’s culture, heritage and registration venue is running a tour on the Battle of Britain in the North, offering an insight into the defence of the north as well as the civilian experience of the battle in County Durham, at 2pm on Friday.

At 11am on Saturday, it is then offering a free, informal, short talk on the Bradfords, an extraordinary family from County Durham, and their contribution to the Durham Light Infantry.

Cllr Andrew Husband, Leader of Durham County Council, said: “County Durham Day is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate our beautiful county. We want to showcase our local pride, heritage, creativity and community spirit by bringing residents together for a vibrant programme of activities.

“No matter your age, we have something for everyone at our venues this Friday. Whether you want to find out more about the county’s history, try your hand at creating your own blue and yellow LEGO cathedral, or enjoy a brilliant book inspired by our stunning landscape and its people, we can’t wait to share County Durham Day with you and highlight all that our county offers.”

County Durham Day is celebrated annually on 20 March, marking the death of Saint Cuthbert, the county’s patron saint, and honouring the county’s heritage and history.

In addition to the council’s events, Durham Cathedral will host its annual Evensong at 6pm on 20 March.

A pilgrimage will also set off from St Mary and St Cuthbert’s Church Parish Centre in Chester-le-Street at 9am, stopping at Finchale Priory at 12.30pm, and concluding at Durham Cathedral with a Celebration of the Eucharist at 4pm.

For more information about County Durham Day events, visit www.durham.gov.uk/countydurhamday.