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A Message from Jill Cole, Interim Chair, Culture Durham
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It’s been a while since we’ve been in touch, as Culture Durham is in the midst of organisational change following its governance review that involved a variety of stakeholders across the county. As a result of that review we made an application to the Charity Commission for charitable status which we now know was unsuccessful. The interim advisory group for Culture Durham met recently and we’ve made the decision to continue as a limited company that works for public benefit. The aim will be:
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To advance the arts and heritage within County Durham for the public benefit, in particular by supporting and representing the arts and heritage sector through promotion, representation, advocacy and development, and encouraging public and educational participation.
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I continue, for the moment, as Culture Durham’s chair, supported by an interim advisory group. For more information see https://culturedurham.org.uk/about/. In due course articles of association will be created, a new voluntary board of company directors and a chair will be appointed. More information about this process will be announced soon, but we aim for it to be as transparent and democratic as possible. We want to make sure the full extent of the arts and heritage sector across the county is represented on the new board, as Culture Durham continues to strive for more cultural opportunities to change lives for the better. As we make this transition, I’m delighted to say that Arts Council England has given us a small grant, with Durham County Council providing an element of match funding.
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In the meantime there is amazing activity taking place all around the county, celebrated through the creation of the Culture County brand and The Durham Story, a forward-looking view of what Durham stands for as a place, its distinctiveness, characteristics and ambition. Both are led by Visit County Durham.
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Some of you are directly involved with Into the Light, a county-wide place partnership collaboration designed to drive long-lasting growth in County Durham by cultivating talent, widening access to creative education, enhancing the skills of the cultural workforce, and breaking down barriers to working in the creative industries. Culture Durham played a key role shaping the programme and funding bids for Into the Light, through consultation with you, those who work in the sector. The project is now in its second year of delivery and there is more news of the programme as a separate item in this newsletter.
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This year we’ve seen some amazing festivals and events in County Durham, such as Durham Brass. Durham Fringe Festival continues to thrive and is bigger each year. Kynren, an Epic Tale of England had a brilliant 2025 season, and Durham Cathedral showcased some of its collections with its Magna Carta and the North exhibition. The celebrations of the bicentenary of the Stockton & Darlington Railway conclude at the end of this month and Durham Book Festival saw the launch of a new podcast Forged in the North, hosted by Bishop Auckland born Fiona Hill, Chancellor of Durham University. Redhills in Durham City is now open following its transformation, and from next year will host the Durham Folk Festival. Lumiere, commissioned by Durham County Council and produced by Artichoke, took place last weekend, attracting 120,000 people.
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There is much to celebrate in County Durham, the result of hard work and dedication by those who work in our culture sector. Funding and sustainability continue as a constant challenge. Through partnership working, and shared knowledge and experience we are stronger together.
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Do get in touch if you have news or information you’d like us to share via Culture Durham’s newsletter hello@culture.durham.gov.uk We would also like to develop a bank of high quality images we might use that show the wide variety of cultural and heritage activity happening here in County Durham. If you have an image or two you would like to share, please send them to hello@culturedurham.gov.uk providing a brief title, a date and any credits, and confirming that permissions are in place for the image to be shared.
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Image: taken at the award ceremony for Art Fund Museum of the Year 2025 of Beamish Chair, Chief Executive and staff with Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport; and Jenny Waldman, Director of The Art Fund. Photographer David Oates.
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Creative Careers
Feedback from the event includes:
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"I hope there will be more such events & do please count Elysium in in future. I felt it made a huge difference & was absolutely the right, positive step to building an ecology of unity for Durham Creatives. And how fantastic to do it at Ushaw." Jake Murrey, Co-founder of Elysium Theatre Company.
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“Can I just pass on how fantastic today was! Great organisation, fab sessions which were really engaging and inspiring and a wonderful venue. Our students had a great time- thank you!” Member of staff, St John’s Catholic School and Sixth Form College, Bishop Auckland.
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Upcoming Events
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Spring 2026 - Culture Durham in person forum
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An opportunity to share best practice and network with colleagues. More information and details to be announced.
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Upcoming Opportunities
No More Nowt: County Durham Co.Created Commissions - Six opportunities are available. The deadline for submissions is 4th December 2025,10am. To find out more see https://nomorenowt.org/opportunities
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Northern Heartlands: Artist brief for Weardale Wonders. Part of Weardale PlaceLab, an Into the Light project. The deadline for submissions is 5th December 2025, 12noon.
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Creativity Works: Research and Development contract for Wild Imagining – Woodland Makers Project. Part of Durham City PlaceLab, an Into the Light project. The deadline for submissions is 7th December 2025, 5pm. To find out more see
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An update from Programme Director, Julia Handelman-Smith
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Eighteen months in, Into the Light has made great progress as partners deliver the county’s ambitious programme of culture-led regeneration and activities that directly connect culture to economic and community growth.
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Into the Light aims to strengthen the cultural workforce and break down barriers to working in the creative industries. Later this year, the Skills Hub will launch pilot programmes to address development needs of creatives. Part of that is driven by you and this month we’ve launched an open call to join the Into the Light community to help shape future initiatives and build opportunities that the local sector needs. More information and how to be involved can be found at https://www.intothelightdurham.co.uk/projects/building-a-creative-community
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Into the Light is about how culture and creativity is essential for communities and places to flourish. It has helped to establish a new theatre company, Ensemble '84, in the heart of Horden and which has already toured County Durham voices outside the county with its recent run of Mother Courage and her Children at Live Theatre. In its first 18 months, Into the Light has supported over 600 creatives and reached audiences of over 12,000. This collaborative partnership between policy, world-class research at Durham University and the cultural sector is shining a light on how we need culture in our community more than ever.
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Celebrating pride of place; past, present and future through cultural engagement across County Durham is becoming the norm.
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Do follow us on Into the Light social channels.
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Instagram @intothelightdurham
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Into the Light is delivered in partnership by Durham County Council, Beamish Museum, The Bowes Museum, Durham University, Ensemble ’84, The Forge, No More Nowt, Northern Heartlands, Redhills CIO and TIN Arts. It is funded by Durham County Council, the National Lottery through Arts Council England, the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and Durham University. The work is supported by Culture Durham and Visit County Durham.
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Image: From Mother Courage and Her Children performed by Ensemble '84 - Ayanda Tikolo, Paulina Malefane, Joe Hammal and Stephen Lister. Photographer Keith Pattison
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Thanks and Farewell
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Culture Durham would like to thank Cllr Elizabeth Scott for her involvement in Culture Durham, as the previous portfolio holder for Economy and Partnerships. Cllr Scott’s insightful contribution to Culture Durham has been invaluable and we wish her well as she continues as a Durham County Council elected member. We are looking forward to working with Cllr Karen Allison who we welcome as the portfolio holder for Leisure, Tourism, Regeneration and High Street.
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We also offer thanks to Jane Hedges who was the Culture Partnerships Support Officer for Durham County Council stepping back from the role in December 2024 to enjoy retirement. Jane worked tirelessly on behalf of the county’s culture sector, and throughout her career for a variety of partnership organisations and projects.
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Finally, it is with sadness that earlier in the year we said farewell to Professor Simon James, Department of English Studies, Durham University, who passed away in June, following a very recent diagnosis of an aggressive form of cancer. Simon will be sorely missed by his colleagues at Durham University, we who work in the culture sector, and of course his family and friends. We particularly think of Kate, his wife, who many of us know through her professional career within Durham and the wider North East culture sector. An obituary on Durham University’s website can be found here.
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Image: Professor Simon James chairing a Durham Book Festival event, provided by New Writing North.
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