by Harriet Line

Durham will be hosting the fourth World Heritage Weekend to celebrate local history and encourage residents to appreciate the city’s significance.

The event, aimed at families, will take place across the city on the weekend of the 21^st and 22^nd of April from 10.30am until 4.00pm.

Free tours of the riverbank, craft activities, storytelling, badge making and giant drawing are some of the attractions designed to inspire children.

Durham Castle and Cathedral will also be throwing their doors open free of charge for tours which the Event Coordinator hopes will be enjoyed by students, many of whom have never been inside the Castle.

Those keen to understand the narrative of Durham’s architectural history can join Martin Roberts on a guided walk of the ‘Lost Buildings of Durham’. An overview of the World Heritage Site will also take place on Palace Green.

Around 40 people can attend each tour (pre-booking is not necessary), so the impact upon the city is not expected to be large, although attendance figures will be influenced by the weather. The economic influence is likely to be small, but Seif El Rashidi, Durham World Heritage Site Coordinator, believes that the cultural impact will be the most important aspect of the weekend.

“We want more people to appreciate that Durham is an interesting place with an interesting history.

“With free access to the sites, local people are more likely to come and enjoy the city… to learn about their heritage”.

Scenes reminiscent of Luminere are unlikely to surface owing to the small anticipated number of visitors, and there are no additional policing provisions or crowd control plans.

Durham World Heritage Site, renowned for its architectural and historic importance celebrated its 25^thanniversary in November. The site is used for religious and residential purposes, and comprises of the historic Cathedral and Castle, as well as the buildings on Palace Green.