THE LORD MAYOR OF THE CITY OF LONDON VISITS AUCKLAND CASTLE Sunday, 31 July 2016
On the invitation of Lady Sarah Nicholson, a trustee of the Auckland Castle Trust and County Durham Community Foundation (CDCF), the Lord Mayor spent the morning meeting with beneficiaries from both charities at Auckland Castle.
Those in attendance included members of the 1st St. Helen Auckland Scout Group, who make regular use of Auckland Castle’s community outreach activities and acres of grounds, as well as Ian Graham, who says volunteering at the venue has helped give his life a new sense of purpose after spending more than two years unemployed.
Also present at the event were representatives from some of the 12,000 community groups and individuals that have benefited from CDCF grants over the past 21 years, which now total more than £30m.
The Lord Mayor and Mayoress were then taken on a tour of Auckland Castle by Jonathan and Jane Ruffer and told about their plans to transform Bishop Auckland into a faith, art and heritage destination of international significance.
This was followed by a quick stop at the Castle’s sister site Eleven Arches, home to live action show Kynren, before the civic party headed north to explore Durham Cathedral.