Durham County Council is one of the largest unitary authorities in the country, covering 2,000 sq km of city, countryside and coast, and serving a population of more than half a million people.

The council supports vibrant festivals and events as part of its work to promote County Durham as a great destination to live, study, work, visit and invest in. This includes Bishop Auckland and Seaham Food Festivals, Durham Book Festival, Brass and Durham City Run Festival.

It also runs cultural venues across the county, including Gala Durham, Empire Consett, Bishop Auckland Town Hall, Durham Town Hall and Killhope Lead Mining Museum, as well as supporting other attractions in its communities.

As a key partner in 'Into the light', a programme which grew from Durham's shortlisted bid to be City of Culture 2025 and which is recognised by Arts Council England as a Place Partnership, the council continues to work with partners to bring together the boundless creativity of our communities and cultural organisations to deliver a spectacular cultural programme with international appeal, along with innovative projects to support local people in achieving their own creative potential.

This year, it has celebrated the first anniversary of its new venue The Story at Mount Oswald, a dedicated history centre bringing together six miles of archives, heritage and registration services, along with a café and exhibition space. In its first year, the venue has welcomed more than 122,000 visitors, conducted hundreds of weddings and registered more than 2,000 births – far exceeding its targets.

Plans are also progressing to bring the former Durham Light Infantry Museum and Art Gallery back into use as a state-of-the-art exhibition centre, gallery and café opening next year.

These incredible collaborations from the City of Culture bidding process will live on, with the bonds forged between cultural organisations, businesses and community groups during the journey, stronger than ever before.