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All the latest news from the Industry and the Visit County Durham Grapevine newsletter.

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Format: 29-12-2023
Format: 30-12-2023
Campaign encourages visitors to ‘Do Durham Differently’ Visit County Durham

Campaign encourages visitors to ‘Do Durham Differently’

8 Nov 2023

Durham’s unique and diverse experiences, world-class attractions and eclectic accommodation are the inspiration behind a new campaign aimed at boosting the county’s visitor economy.

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Celebrating and protecting County Durham’s heritage Industry

Celebrating and protecting County Durham’s heritage

8 Nov 2023

Victorian gates from Euston Station, two ice houses and a deserted medieval village. All are among 340 heritage assets across County Durham that are to be promoted and afforded increased protection, having been put forward for inclusion in a local authority project. Durham County Council’s Local...

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Archbishop blesses new water fountain Industry

Archbishop blesses new water fountain

8 Nov 2023

A new drinking water fountain in Bishop Auckland has been blessed by the Archbishop of York. The Archbishop of York blessed the water fountain in a small ceremony as part of his walking tour of the Diocese of Durham with the Bishop of Durham. The Life Way Water fountain was gifted to Durham County...

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Raby Estates hires manager to deliver sustainability vision Industry

Raby Estates hires manager to deliver sustainability vision

30 Oct 2023

Raby Estates has appointed a sustainability manager in a new role to set and deliver ambitious targets for environmental enhancement and meet the challenge of climate change. Victoria Cadman, an environmental scientist with over 25 years consulting and advisory experience for private and public...

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Visitor economy businesses urged to have their say on pressing workforce skills challenges Industry

Visitor economy businesses urged to have their say on pressing workforce skills challenges

30 Oct 2023

As the North East gears up to achieve ambitious plans to double the size of the visitor economy in the next decade, recruitment and retention challenges also loom large. To ensure the industry is equipped with the skills it needs to thrive, businesses across the region are being urged to feed into...

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Romans spotted in Hardwick Park! Industry

Romans spotted in Hardwick Park!

26 Oct 2023

A County Durham park is now home to a Roman village…of the virtual variety. The new augmented reality attraction, in Sedgefield’s Hardwick Park, gives visitors the opportunity to meet Roman characters, view buildings, solve puzzles, and make iron tools. It’s all experienced through a mobile...

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Largest ever peatland project completed in the North Pennines Industry

Largest ever peatland project completed in the North Pennines

26 Oct 2023

The North Pennines AONB Partnership is celebrating the completion of its largest and most complex peatland restoration project to date, as part of the Great North Bog initiative. Working in partnership with the landowner, Raby Estates, and tenant farmer, John Bell, the AONB team has completed a...

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Tapestry bid Industry

Tapestry bid

25 Oct 2023

The Auckland Project is campaigning to save Henry VIII's extraordinary lost tapestry for the nation. The vast, golden tapestry was ordered by Henry VIII when he declared himself Head of the Church of England, forever changing our national faith and history. One opportunity exists to bring it back...

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New VisitEngland website Industry

New VisitEngland website

25 Oct 2023

VisitBritain/VisitEngland have launched their new industry website. The new website's design and functionality has been driven by accessibility best practices, user data and discovery research to learn what content would be most useful to partners across the visitor economy, including destinations,...

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Purple Tuesday Industry

Purple Tuesday

25 Oct 2023

A reminder that Purple Tuesday returns on 7th November 2023. The initiative inspires leadership and staff of organisations from all sectors and sizes to foster awareness, deepen understanding, and implement solutions for enhanced accessibility in their customer environments.

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Research reveals Memorable Moments marketing campaign generated millions in visitor spend Visit County Durham

Research reveals Memorable Moments marketing campaign generated millions in visitor spend

24 Oct 2023

Visit County Durham’s national destination marketing campaign, Memorable Moments, generated £86.6 million in visitor spend, research has revealed. The campaign, which ran from October 2022 to April 2023 and was delivered in partnership with the county’s tourism businesses, reached over 2.25...

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Training opportunity Industry

Training opportunity

18 Oct 2023

Taking England to the World is aimed at helping your business reach new customers and grow your revenue. The session is delivered by industry experts providing information on insights and research, marketing, product development, distribution and partnerships. Being held 30th November between...

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Durham Business Growth Industry

Durham Business Growth

18 Oct 2023

Durham Business Growth, a new £8.16 million initiative funded through UK Shared Prosperity Fund, has been launched to support 900 local businesses until March 2025. It focuses on strengthening the local economy and creating jobs. Businesses of all sizes and sectors are welcome to participate. The...

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Do Durham Differently Visit County Durham

Do Durham Differently

18 Oct 2023

Visit County Durham is undertaking a new marketing campaign called Do Durham Differently which will showcase unique experiences from across the county, in a way which emphasises how diverse the county is from city, countryside to coast. Running from Autumn 2023 to Spring 2024, activity will include...

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A message from Visit County Durham's managing director, Michelle Gorman Visit County Durham

A message from Visit County Durham's managing director, Michelle Gorman

18 Oct 2023

With the nights drawing in and the leaves starting to turn, there is no escaping that summer has come to an end, and what a summer it has been. From the opening of new attractions in Beamish Museum's 1950s town to record breaking attendance at events such as Seaham Food Festival and Gaia at Durham...

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