Battle of Britain is to be commemorated

A special event is being held to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.

The "bulldog” spirit is back in Durham Market Place as the first post-lockdown event is staged on Sunday.

Organised by Durham Markets Company and City of Durham Parish Council, the event will feature exhibits and living history performers in the Market Place from 11am to 4pm.

The highlight of the Nostalgia Day will be a replica Hurricane single-seater fighter aircraft parked up in the Market Place.

Other exhibits include a living history tableau by the Time Bandits, 29th Field Kitchen HQ’s authentic WWII field kitchen and Newtown Aycliffe Bus Preservation Society’s “Heartbeat” bus.

There will also be an art exhibition by Denis Fox, displaying his artwork of the Battle of Britain – the first time the new series of paintings, depicting events known as “Black Thursday” when the Luftwaffe attacked the North-East of England, have been shown together.

Colin Wilkes, Managing Director of Durham Markets, said: “We’re glad that we can, once again, create and stage events to bring people back into the heart of Durham.

"Our Nostalgia Day events have always been popular with all ages– admittedly this is a much smaller event, but all the same we hope the living tableau and particularly the replica Hurricane fighter will be enjoyed by visitors of all ages. We ask people to enjoy the event safely and remain socially aware.”