As a mark of respect, flags at County Hall and Durham Town are now flying at half-mast.

Books of condolence are available for people to sign at the Gala Theatre in Durham City (10am to 10pm, Monday to Sunday).

A national online book of condolence has been opened by Buckingham Palace and can be found here.

Floral tributes can also be left at Millennium Place in Durham City.

In line with Royal protocol, the proclamation of King Charles III will be read by the High Sheriff for County Durham in Durham Market Place at 1.00pm on Sunday 11th September. It will then be read again in communities across the county later that day.

To enable visitors to attend the proclamation, Durham County Council’s park and ride service will be operating from Belmont to the city centre from 10.00am to 4.00pm on Sunday. Meanwhile, Claypath and the Peninsula will be closed to all traffic from 11.30am to 2.30pm.

A service of remembrance will be held in Durham Cathedral on Saturday 17 September at 3.00pm. I am advised that this is now fully booked however can be viewed live via Durham Cathedral’s Facebook page.

An additional national Bank Holiday has also been agreed for the date of the funeral, in order to allow the public to watch this.

Last year, the Parish Council launched a public nominations scheme for the introduction of blue plaques to commemorate important people, buildings and events in the parish.

Since then, 5 blue plaques have been delivered as follows:
• The pioneering female photographer Daisy Edis – 142 Gilesgate
• The location of the former organ builders Harrison & Harrison – Harrison House
• The Market Hall – outside the Indoor Market Hall
• The three first female graduates of Durham University Mary Gibson, Dora Heslop and Winifred Hindmarch – St. Hild and St. Bede’s College
• The Railway Cottages – Railway Cottages

The Parish Council is also delighted to have recently agreed a further two plaques for the City – those for 20 Allergate in Durham City and Neville House.

This scheme is based loosely on the English Heritage scheme for blue plaques in London and has been delivered in other local areas outside London by various Parish and Town Councils. Launching such a scheme would be an encouragement for residents to celebrate their heritage and an opportunity to engender Civic Pride.

Chair of the Parish Council’s Environment Committee, Coun. Carole Lattin said: “We are absolutely delighted to be celebrating our rich heritage in this way. From celebrating the first female graduates of our world-renowned University to our historic Market Hall and more. I am thrilled that local residents have taken such an active role in nominating these historic places and people of significance. It really does highlight how lucky we are in Durham to have so much to celebrate.”

In launching the initial scheme, the Parish Council agreed the following criteria:

CRITERIA FOR GRANTING HERITAGE PLAQUES

1 In the case of a single person
1.1 If the person was eminent in his or her field and is listed in appropriate general national biographical sources for the period; for instance, the Dictionary/New Dictionary of National Biography, Who’s Who/Who Was Who, Men and Women of the Time, the Times Obituary, or recognised specialist biographical sources, and had a significant connection with one or more places in the City of Durham Parish area, such as a residence of five years, place of birth, place of business etc., OR
1.2 if the person made a definite contribution to the history of Durham City, does not appear in the relevant national sources but had a significant connection with one or more places in Durham City, such as a residence of five years, place of birth, place of business etc.
Please note: Proposals will not be considered for the commemoration of individuals unless more than 20 years has elapsed since their passing.

2 In the case of an event
If it was of considerable importance in the history or development of the City.

3 In the case of a building
If, unconnected with an important person, the building was significant in the history or development of Durham City, or is of great antiquity, or of particular architectural importance.

A recently restored Durham City mural dedicated to the famous anti-apartheid campaigner and Durham University lecturer Ruth First, has been unveiled.

The City of Durham Parish Council recently commissioned the restoration of the mural by one of the original artists Lotte Shankland and were delighted to unveil this at a joint event with Durham University on Monday 7th March.

The mural is located on the side of Ruth First House on Providence Row in the City. Ruth First was an exiled South African anti-apartheid activist, journalist and Sociology lecturer who lived in Durham between 1973 and 1978 and attended meetings in this building. Ruth was assassinated in Mozambique in 1982, where she was working while on leave from Durham University, by a parcel bomb sent by South African police.

The original plaque and artwork were erected to coincide with the first free democratic elections in South Africa in 1994.

The mural was unveiled at the event by Ruth First’s former University colleague Hilary Wainwright and the current Ruth First Scholar Shamiso Zamba.

Chair of the Parish Council Coun. Alan Doig said: “We are absolutely delighted to honour a wonderful person associated with our parish in this way. The original mural was looking very worn and the Parish Council is thrilled to have the restoration work commissioned by one of the original artists. This is such a great enhancement for Providence Row and a fitting dedication to a remarkable lady.

“This year marks the 40th anniversary of Ruth’s tragic assassination. We really hope this mural continues to keep the memory of Ruth and the tolerance and justice she fought for alive.
“It is also exceptionally fitting that the mural was unveiled in the same week as International Women’s Day.”

Michael Thompson, Chair of the Ruth First Educational Trust, said: “Ruth First’s teaching, research, writing and political activism have inspired many people in Africa and the UK. The University is proud to honour that legacy by supporting the Ruth First Scholarship in partnership with the Ruth First Educational Trust and Durham City and County. The mural is a vivid memorial to a remarkable woman and a creative symbol of Durham’s commitment to the values that she fought for.”

A new trail linking seven of the hills that cradle the historic City of Durham has recently been launched by the City of Durham Parish Council.

The City of Durham Parish Council is publishing a trail leaflet to enable both local residents and visitors to enjoy the beauty of the City from many viewpoints. The trail over the seven hills is seven miles (11km) long and takes about four hours at a gentle pace taking in ten of Durham ‘treasures’ including Wharton Park, Flass Vale Local Nature Reserve, The Miners Hall, the Neville’s Cross battle site and monument, The Durham University Observatory, the Oriental Museum, the Botanic Garden, Great High Wood, Maiden Castle Iron Age Fort, and of course the World Heritage Site of the Cathedral and Castle.

The first of the seven hills is Windy Hill, or Wharton Park as it is better known. The trail continues through Western Hill, Redhills, Observatory Hill, Windmill Hill where St. Aidens College stands, Bucks Hill or Mount Joy as most people know it, and finally Whinney Hill.

The Chair of the City of Durham Parish Council’s Environment Committee Coun. Carole Lattin said “The Parish Council is absolutely delighted to be publishing the leaflet. To make a great new outdoor opportunity for local people in this time of Covid travel restrictions is exactly what the Council should be doing. It is also just what the City’s economy needs to encourage visitors to stay longer and boost tourism expenditure. The walk is a wonderful experience and opens everyone’s eyes to the many great things can be enjoyed all round the City”

She added: “We are indebted to David Miller, a long-term resident, for devising the trail and designing the leaflet. It’s been a real labour of love for him and the Council has supported his efforts as part of the general mission to promote initiatives coming up from the local community.”

John Lowe, the Chair of the City of Durham Trust said: “The Trust is very happy to provide a grant towards publishing this fine trail which will a great introduction to many of the City’s heritage sites and buildings for a wide range of people. Each of these treasures is worth a follow-up visit, and we hope this trail will bring many more people to appreciate what the City has to offer.”

Eighty years-old David Miller said: “For years while walking these paths, I have thought they would make an exciting trail. Finally, I decided to make a leaflet for my family and friends, and then, happily, the Council stepped in to make it widely available.”

He added: “We all know Rome is built on seven hills, so I thought ‘why not Durham?’ Of course, Durham has more than seven hills but seven is enough to make this super walk. Perhaps Durham is the Rome of the North of England with its seven hills, its World Heritage status and fame, and its long and fascinating history?”

” Being a keen walker all my life and not a particularly good map reader, I wanted to make a map that is easy to follow and fun to use for all the family. I think that this walk will become popular. Given average fitness and enthusiasm for a good walk, it makes the perfect solo walk with the dog, a great family ramble, and even a super outing for a rambling club. For those who prefer shorter walks, there are many routes back because you are never far from the City centre. You can always do the rest on another day.”

“Where else can you see so many wonderful things along a trail that finishes in a World Heritage Site, one of the most beautiful places on earth?”

A hard copy of the trail map can be collected at Durham Town Hall.

Like every city across the country, Durham has its issues of cigarette litter. The City of Durham Parish Council is really pleased to be launching its pocket ashtray campaign to tackle this issue. These pocket ashtrays are light-weight, reusable, biodegradable pouches which allow the user to put out their cigarette safely and cleanly without having to throw this on the ground. These pocket ashtrays are free of charge and can now be collected from most businesses across the City in hotspot areas.

Keeping our public spaces and local community safe, clean and green is very high on the agenda.

More than 70% of streets in the UK are affected by smoking litter, with busy spots like high streets and transport hubs having even more of a problem. That’s why the City of Durham Parish Council is targeting hot spot areas in our city with our pocket ashtrays campaign.

• These pocket ashtrays are a reusable anti-litter device designed to store your cigarette butts until you can dispose of them properly.
• They are a soft lightweight pouch with a fireproof lining to extinguish cigarettes and lock in smoke odours.
• They easily fit into your pocket whilst you’re out and about.
• You can also use these devices to store chewing gum inside them.

Cigarette litter is often time-consuming and expensive to clean-up because of its small size, as well as being unsightly where cigarette butts are allowed to accumulate.

Cigarette-related litter causes significant harm to our environment and to our health.
It may look like cotton, but 98 percent of cigarette filters are made of plastic fibers (cellulose acetate) that are tightly packed together. The plastic fibers in cigarettes are non-biodegradable, meaning they won’t organically break down from living organisms. Littered cigarette butts leach toxic chemicals—such as arsenic and lead, to name a few—into the environment and can contaminate water. The toxic exposure can poison fish, as well as animals who eat cigarette butts.

Smoking is the biggest cause of preventable deaths in England, accounting for nearly 80,000 deaths each year. One in two smokers will die from a smoking-related disease.
Every 15 cigarettes you smoke will cause a mutation in your body; mutations are how cancers start.
If you could see the damage, you’d stop.

Remember: smoking has a very detrimental impact on your health and its always best to try and quit smoking. We have the Quit Smoking helpline number on your pocket ashtray.

The Parish Council is also funding an enhanced neighbourhood warden who is issuing on-the-spot fines of £70 for chucking your cigarette butt on the ground. Please use your pocket ashtrays.

Help us eradicate cigarette-related litter in the city of Durham parish once and for all.

The City of Durham Parish Council is partnering with local businesses to make these available across the city.
If you’d like your own pocket ashtray free of charge If you own a business premises and you feel that your customers could benefit from these pocket ashtrays, get in touch with the City of Durham Parish Council via e-mail on parishclerk@cityofdurham-pc.gov.uk

Find out more about our campaign via our Facebook page and together lets keep the City that wonderful, clean and green place we all love.

The Planning Inspector has now published his ruling on the public inquiry into the County Council’s application to have the former coach park at the Sands de-registered as common land. A full copy of this ruling can be found here

Chair of the City of Durham Parish Council, Coun. Alan Doig said: “This is clearly a very disappointing outcome for residents in Durham and ourselves as a Parish Council who have fought this application over the last year. Common rights are important to everyone and it is extremely disheartening to see the Inspector make this decision”.

“It is clear from information from the new Administration that this application was too far down the legal process to be withdrawn and we have all been left dealing with the aftermath of the previous Administration’s unfortunate decision to build the new County HQ in the wholly unacceptable location of the Sands”.

“We now look ahead to sitting down with the Council and discussing the future use of this land. The coach park was essential in driving much needed day visitors into our City and we must have some legal safeguards against further development on this land in future. The last thing we need in Durham is yet another eyesore of a building in this beautiful open green space which is so cherished by local residents, the Freemen and the Parish Council”.

The City of Durham Parish Council and Durham University have joined forces to promote responsible citizenship ahead of the University’s Welcome and Orientation Week starting on September 27.

The last 18 months of the pandemic have been unprecedented and difficult for everyone and we are all pleased to be getting back to some sort of normality as we look ahead post Covid-19.
Part of the return to that normality has seen the reopening of our thriving evening and night time economies, our retail and hospitality sector and the return of students to Durham; many of whom we are warmly welcoming for the first time to our City.

As part of a multi-agency joint effort to ensure that Durham City is a peaceful and harmonious place for all to live, visit, study and work, the Parish Council and Durham University are joining forces to promote the resident-led Shhh…11pm-7am campaign which has existed in the City for many years now. Some of the activity being carried out ahead of the Welcome and Orientation Week includes:

• The introduction of lamp post signs promoting the key messaging of the Shhh campaign.
• Posters at key entry points to the City such as the railway station.
• “Quiet Residential Area” temporary spray to footpaths in key hotspot areas.
• Beer mats promoting the Shhh campaign going into business premises and every University college bar.
• A joint initiative by the Parish Council and the University to fund additional support for Durham Police in the form of the University’s Community Response Team during Freshers’ Week.
• A virtual campaign in conjunction with Durham BID and the University which will see the Shhh campaign go across the entire University campus.
• Promotion of the Student Pledge, which sets out what kind of behaviour the University expect from its students.
• A social media campaign by all partners promoting the key messages.

Chair of the City of Durham Parish Council Coun. Alan Doig said: “The Parish Council is absolutely delighted to be working with our partners and key stakeholders across the City in tackling a difficult and long running issue for the City. Durham is a fantastic place to live, visit and study with much to enjoy but like every University Town, it does have its issues of late night noise disturbance and it is right that we try and tackle this issue by supporting this positive, resident-led campaign with a range of activity – including a public awareness campaign and greater resources for enforcement. Our message is clear as a Parish Council: a warm welcome to everyone to come and enjoy everything that Durham City has to offer but please do so with your neighbours in mind and we can keep Durham City that wonderful place for all to enjoy”.

Alan Patrickson, chair of Durham City Safety Group, said: “Durham City is a wonderful and diverse place to live for those of all ages. Its great to see that after a tough 18 months due to the coronavirus pandemic the city’s bars, clubs and restaurants are welcoming people once again. While we want everyone to enjoy themselves, we would also ask people to be considerate of others when coming home from nights out through residential areas. Please keep this in mind so that Durham City remains a welcoming, friendly and hospitable place for all.”

A Durham University spokesperson added: “Durham University is delighted to support the Shhh campaign, which aims to build positive relationships between all members of the Durham community. As part of this and as a result of our close dialogue with community members, we are pleased to be jointly funding additional support during Welcome and Orientation Week to help pre-empt and manage any anti-social behaviour. We encourage our students to be good and considerate neighbours, and this campaign reflects that ethos”.

The Neighbourhood Plan Working Group has created the Looking Forwards document as part of the Neighbourhood Plan process. A full copy of this document can be found here

What is the Looking Forwards document?

‘Looking Forwards’ is a companion document to the Durham City Neighbourhood Plan and has been developed by the City of Durham Parish Council Neighbourhood Plan Working Party.
It is built on the aspirations and views as expressed by local people for their City during the five years of preparation of the Plan. It looks forward to greater involvement of the community in making Durham a more creative and sustainable City. The initiatives arising from that process have been included in this document, and cover matters that do not primarily relate to the statutory policies of the Plan or its implementation. Although both documents have resulted from the plan making process, it is necessary to separate the two documents as they will be
subject to completely different demands, procedures and timescales.

Why was the Looking Forwards document created?

The justification for the preparation of this document can be found in the vision of the Durham City Neighbourhood Plan which states that “Durham City’s potential as a beautiful historic City will be realised through policy and action” and that it will be “enriched by community engagement in its future”. The Neighbourhood Plan sets out the policies and this document represents a commitment to action to help realise the City’s potential. The aspiration
is that organisations such as the County Council, Parish Council, Durham University, community organisations, grass-roots bodies and individuals should work collaboratively and creatively together.

Many of the suggestions put forward by the public during the preparation of the Neighbourhood Plan have no direct bearing on statutory planning and are therefore outside the scope of the policies of the Plan. However, they do have a strong bearing on the future of Our Neighbourhood and they are set out as a series of initiatives under the six themes of the Plan. For an initiative to be included there has to be a discernible and realistic potential for community involvement. It is important that partners in prioritising and progressing the initiatives are confident that, for the most part, the initiatives would be welcomed by the community. Indeed, the vision statement for Theme 6 of the Plan, ‘A City with an Enriched Community Life states:

Durham City will have a proactively supported community life, including health and well-being, with an enriched artistic and cultural life for the benefit of residents and visitors alike. Residents will be supported and encouraged to be active citizens with a keen interest in their neighbourhood and how it develops.

The Wear Rivers Trust is currently looking for volunteers to help tackle the issue of invasive non-native species in the River Wear.

The Wear Rivers Trust is working to tackle three of the worst invasive non-native species (INNS) in the Wear catchment: Himalayan Balsam, Japanese Knotweed and Giant Hogweed. These have been increasing in the area for many years following their introduction to the UK in the 19th Century. All three species grow in large clusters which smother native vegetation and leave riverbanks vulnerable to erosion during winter dieback.

The Trust is currently looking for volunteers in Durham to help remove these non-native species. Some volunteer work includes:

• Performing walkover surveys to monitor the spread of INNS
• Assisting on task days focused on treating patches of INNS
• Becoming trained pesticide operators
• Providing expert knowledge

In order to participate in a number of Wear Rivers Trust events, you need to be registered with them as a volunteer in order to be covered by their insurance. Please complete the following form and return it to admin@wear-rivers-trust.org.uk:

VOLUNTEER REGISTRATION FORM

If you would like to find out more about the WINNS project or how you can get involved, you can visit the website or contact the Trust via the following details:

Website: www.wear-rivers-trust.org.uk
Email: admin@wear-rivers-trust.org.uk

Alternatively, the leaflet below is an excellent resource of information about the project and these non-native species: WINNS leaflet

The City of Durham Parish Council acknowledges the urgent need for global society to reduce carbon emissions and we acknowledge that “business as usual” is not an option in the face of the climate emergency and that society in its current form is unsustainable.
I. We will therefore:
• commit to becoming a carbon-neutral organization by 2030, to include scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions *.
• we will create a roadmap for achieving this by September 2021 and a carbon audit by December 2021 and include environmental implications in all officer reports from that date.

II. We will seek ways to facilitate and encourage our community in reducing direct and indirect CO2 emissions and to become resilient to changes caused by the changing climate. We will take active steps where possible to encourage:
• more sustainable transport;
• reductions in energy use in homes, businesses and elsewhere;
• co-operation with organisations seeking to develop low carbon community-led affordable housing;
• use and development of renewable energy resources;
• production and consumption of locally-sources food;
• any other methods to achieve the above aims.

III. As a council we will:
• strategically reassess and adjust the scope of our current activities;
• proactively reduce our CO2 emissions as an organization;
• seek to encourage and enable our community to decrease their emissions and improve their resilience to climate change;
• seek to influence the policies of other organisations to encourage them to reduce their emissions;

*Scope 1 and 2 cover direct emissions sources (e.g. fuel used in company vehicles and purchased electricity) scope 3 emissions cover all indirect emissions due to the activities of an organisation.