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Visit County Durham

New App for Seaham

26 Jan 2022

'Discover Seaham' has been developed as part of the Seaham Townscape Heritage Project, which is supported by funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. The app allows locals and visitors alike to explore the town's history and heritage in an interactive way. It offers different...

Visit County Durham

A Memorable Moment to support the Bid

26 Jan 2022

As part of County Durham's bid to be UK City of Culture 2025, a user generated content campaign is asking people to share their special memories of the county from the last 12 months. Memorable Moments draws upon the fact people have spent a lot more time reconnecting with their local area...

Visit County Durham

Omicron one-off hospitality grant

26 Jan 2022

In December, the Government announced the introduction of one-off grant support for hospitality, leisure and accommodation businesses in England impacted by the Omicron variant of up to £6,000 per premises. The grants are available to eligible, trading hospitality, leisure and...

Visit County Durham

Rail consultation

19 Jan 2022

Great British Railways (GBR) is a new public body set up by government that will run and plan the rail network, own the infrastructure, procure passenger services and set most fares and timetables. To inform the Strategic Plan, GBR has issued a call for evidence, seeking to consider the...

Visit County Durham

Durham Pocket Guide 2022

19 Jan 2022

Work is now underway in conjunction with our publishing partner, Offstone, to create the 2022 edition of the Durham Pocket Guide, with Visit County Durham partners able to benefit from exclusive discounted rates. 125,000 copies will be distributed across the region in early May and will be used as...

Industry

Funding for digital improvement

19 Jan 2022

Tourism, leisure and hospitality businesses in County Durham are among those who can apply for a share of an almost £1million fund to help them in their recovery from the effects of Covid-19. The Durham Digital Improvement Grant will support businesses to enable the use of and improvement in the...

Industry

Raby branching out with adventure playground in the forest

19 Jan 2022

World-class playground designers have started work on an enchanting new children’s adventure play area inside a mysterious forest in Raby Castle’s grounds. The project is part of a wider development, known as The Rising, that promises to attract new visitors to the area and create outstanding...

Visit County Durham

2021 top pages on thisisdurham.com

18 Jan 2022

We’re looking back at how the ongoing pandemic impacted what consumers searched for on thisisdurham.com, the county’s official tourism website, and what pages proved to be the most popular last year. We’re looking back at how the ongoing pandemic impacted what consumers searched for on...

Industry

Strong performance at Dalton Park leads to 26 new job opportunities

14 Jan 2022

A strong performance during 2021 has led to the creation of 26 new jobs at the North East’s biggest outlet shopping centre. Dalton Park Outlet Shopping Destination saw like-for-like sales increase by 13% against the same period in 2019, despite hugely challenging times for the UK retail sector. A...

Visit County Durham

Accessible days out

12 Jan 2022

Visit County Durham has teamed up with disabled blogger, dancer and activist Kate Stanforth to help disabled people plan fun-filled days out. Kate has been out and about exploring attractions across the county such as Beamish, The Living Museum of the North and The Bowes Museum to share her top...

Industry

Baton-bearer nominations sought

12 Jan 2022

Do you know somebody who is ready to step forward, make a change, and take it on? You can now nominate a Baton-bearer for the Birmingham 2022 Queen's Baton Relay in England. Baton-bearers are needed, each with inspiring stories, to take on the special experience of carrying the Queen's Baton...

Industry

Try before you buy scheme

12 Jan 2022

To help make the decision about switching to electric, Durham County Council is offering small and medium-sized businesses in the county the chance to borrow an electric van for up to three weeks. You will be loaned an electric van (three different types will be available) over a period...

Industry

Castle restoration work takes regional award

23 Dec 2021

Work to revitalise a medieval castle in County Durham has won a regional award. Auckland Castle, in Bishop Auckland, is one of the most significant complexes of medieval buildings in England. As a favoured residence of the bishops of Durham for at least 800 years, it has international...

Industry

Tens of thousands attend Lumiere 2021 under the light of the full moon

23 Nov 2021

Lumiere light festival declared a triumph as people come together to enjoy the biggest outdoor event in the North East since lockdown. An estimated 140,000 visitors attend as Lumiere extended across County Durham as well as in Durham City for first time 37 artworks, 8 riggers, 13 Projectionists, 28...

Industry

A muggles' guide to North East Harry Potter locations

23 Nov 2021

It’s hard to believe it’s been 20 years since Harry Potter & The Philosopher's Stone first hit our screens. To mark twenty magical years since November 2001, when the first film adaptation of J. K Rowling’s boy wizard was released in UK cinemas, we’ve created a muggles' guide to Harry...