News Articles

Durham City Freemen Apprentice Awards 2026

“Celebrating Excellence, Investing in the Future”.

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Remembrance parade Organizing Group this was the best we have produced for Durham City

Durham City Remembrance was I believe the best we have produced for Durham City, and this is in no small part due to financial and logistical support of many people and organizations in and around Durham such as yourselves.

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Guild Newcomers Discover They Share A Common Bond

TWO time-served craftsmen, whose working lives followed different courses, discovered they unwittingly shared a common bond shortly before being sworn in as freemen at November’s Guild Day in the Town Hall

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A New Chapter for Durham's Historic Town Hall

I'm excited to share some highlights from the recent major restoration of Durham Town Hall. As many of you know, the town hall closed in November 2024 to allow for an extensive programme of repairs and conservation—part of a broader initiative that originally began during the COVID-19 lockdowns of 2020–21.

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With The Freemen On Board Pitmen’s History “Seams” Clearer

The multi-million-pound rescue of Durham’s Miners’ Hall, to be formally unveiled to the public later this year - will be fronted by a key feature funded by a £3,000 gift from the city’s freemen.

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Freemen Help Trainees Break Down Barriers To Win A New Start In Life

A Durham-based charitable hub – one of four regional centres offering trainees from the margins of society the chance of advancement by learning new skills - is expanding its operation thanks to a gift from ancient trade guilds of the city’s freemen.

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Record Setting Freemen Dies Just Before Her 104th Birthday

A GREAT grandmother, believed to be the oldest woman freeman in Britain, has died peacefully just days short of her of her 104th birthday.

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​Freemen Offer Visitors A Glimpse Back To The Middle Ages

SENIOR members of Durham City Freemen will this year take part, for the first time, in a country-wide event celebrating England’s “fantastic heritage and culture.”

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​Freemen offer a repeat gift to city's oasis of calm

A LATE-night weekend refuge in the centre of Durham, offering a helping hand to anyone in distress, has been given a renewed boost by the city’s freemen.

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Daryl Determined To Stay In The Loop

THE world of high finance and artistic exercise, performed within a loop suspended from a ceiling, are unlikely bedfellows. But they both feature in the life of insurance specialist Daryl Metcalf – the freemen’s latest new recruit, where she joins dad Alan in the Cordwainers’ Guild

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