Durham Cathedral

On Wednesday 10th September the Social Group set off from Stockton to visit Durham Cathedral; it was the day after County Durham had been voted the most tranquil place to live in Britain.

Durham city is steeped in history but the jewel in the crown has to be the cathedral, it is the only one in England to retain almost all of its Norman craftsmanship.

We arrived at around 11 am to begin a guided tour of the cathedral at 11.15 am. Just walking into the building you could feel the coldness compared to the outside temperature, the atmosphere was just awe inspiring. Although most had visited in the past they had not been on a guided tour and found it all very interesting. There were lots of things to touch and feel as we worked through the vast building.

Towards the end of the tour an announcement was made informing visitors of a short service of Holy Communion about to commence in the chapel. I joined this service and really enjoyed the experience of taking communion in such a great place.

The tour finished at around 12.45 pm with everybody feeling very knowledgeable and looking forward to lunch in the cathedral café. The choice of food was very good, the prices were reasonable, plenty of space reserved for us and it was lovely and warm. Feeling refreshed we still had about 90 minute’s free time. As we had plenty of sighted help the group could split up and visit various places of individual interest. Such as a walk into Durham City, a walk along by the river, a walk round the castle or just sit and talk on a seat on Palace Green outside the cathedral as the weather was very nice and for once was not raining at all. We returned back into Stockton at about 4.25 pm having thoroughly enjoyed the day.

Pictured here enjoying the tour (Special permission was given for the photograph to be taken inside the cathedral)

Val Hydes

Come and join us !

BlindVoice UK is always happy to meet new blind and visually impaired people. Why not come along and join in our social activities, talk to other visually impaired people with a cup of coffee, have a laugh who knows you might even enjoy yourself and want to learn more about what our charity can offer.

SocialEyes meets every 2 weeks on a Wednesday afternoon and Blind Spots our younger people's group meet in during holiday periods.

Val Hydes

Social Group Coordinator

For more information contact our office in Yarm Road 01642 803590