Celebrations are taking place across County Durham this week to mark St George’s Day.
Durham County Council has organised a range of family-friendly activities to celebrate St George’s Day on Thursday (23 April).
The day itself will be marked with a series of engaging activities designed to honour England’s patron saint.
Visitors to the county’s libraries will find red and white displays alongside County Durham inspired stories and children’s fables, while youngsters can also celebrate at the council’s LEGO club library sites by creating their very own red and white structures.
St George’s Day will also be dominating the social media pages of County Durham Libraries, featuring photographs of displays and LEGO creations, as well as fun facts and trivia.
Meanwhile, The Story will have a range of craft activities available to mark St George’s Day, including an opportunity for visitors to craft their own St George’s Cross flag.
The council’s culture, heritage and registration venue is also offering free highlight talks at 11am and 3pm about County Durham’s own Victoria Cross recipient, George Bradford, who was born on St George’s Day in 1887 and died on St George’s Day in 1918.
And, on the evening, The Story, Durham Town Hall, Clayport Library, and Bishop Auckland Town Hall will be illuminated in red and white to continue the celebrations.
These will then extend into the weekend when a series of family-friendly celebrations take place in Durham City, in partnership with Durham BID.
Families can look forward to spectacular dragon appearances, daring unicycle knights and roller-skating knights bringing medieval mayhem to life between 11am and 3.30pm.
Cllr Andrew Husband, Leader of Durham County Council, said: “We’re thrilled to be working with our partners to help residents and visitors celebrate St George’s Day with this exciting programme of activities.
“On the day itself, visitors to our libraries and The Story can explore more about the significance of the day and have lots of fun creating their own St George’s Cross flag or LEGO creations. And we can’t wait to welcome families and friends to Durham City on Saturday to help continue the celebrations with a modern-day take on medieval mayhem.
“It’s going to be a fantastic few days and as well as celebrating our patron saint, we hope it helps to highlight all that County Durham offers. This is just the start of celebrations for this significant day, and we will be working hard to make sure this event grows year on year.”
For more information about St George’s Day events, visit www.durham.gov.uk/commemorativeevents.
