Added Thursday 10th July 2025 by Jacob Dace (Return to Blog)

帝京大学ダラムキャンパスの６月もスケジュールがびっしりと詰まった忙しい月でした。地域に密着した様々な文化活動やボランティア活動、ダラム大学の期末に開催される「サマーボール」や「カレッジデー」など一生に一度の思い出に残るイベントが目白押しでした。ぜひご覧ください。

June is a busy month here at Teikyo University of Japan in Durham. The students took part in a wide range of activities and events that would offer them opportunities to explore and engage with the local area and its communities. On top of this, they were able to experience some once-in-a-lifetime events within Durham University.

At the start of June, the students took part in a cultural event at Durham’s Crook Hall – a National Trust property known for its beautiful gardens and historic architecture. The students gave local visitors the chance to practice origami, calligraphy and the art of using chopsticks.

To help clean up the beaches of the surrounding coastline of the north east, the students were taken to a local beach to support the ‘Seascapes’ beach-cleaning project. Traveling down to Seaton Carew in the morning, the students made a great effort cleaning the beach of unwanted rubbish that had washed up onto the beach. With the help of some other volunteers from Durham University and the local area, we managed to collect over 10 bags of rubbish!

In mid-June, the students were lucky to receive a breaktime visit from Dash, a bedlington terrier therapy dog, into LHCC. Dash never fails to lighten up the day with his gentle nature and playful energy. As well as providing comfort to the students, it provides us all an opportunity to talk to the lovely Pam, Dash’s owner, about her experiences owning therapy dogs.

With the end of term closely approaching, Durham University starts hosting events to celebrate the end of the academic year. Each of Durham University’s 17 colleges holds its own Summer Ball and College Day. All students from Teikyo were lucky enough to attend both these events at Collingwood and St Mary’s colleges. For Collingwood and St Mary’s day, students were able to enjoy live music throughout the day and into the night time. Talented student bands entertained throughout the day while fantastic tribute bands of those such as Fleetwood Mac, Abba and Coldplay took the stage at night.

For the college Summer Balls, students dressed up in their formal attire to attend a lavish three-course meal followed by drinks, music and entertainment. This was the perfect chance for students to get together and have fun with friends they have made within their colleges. To be able to attend these events is truly a memorable experience for any student, and especially for Teikyo students, as it gave them a glimpse into the vibrant end-of-year traditions at Durham University.

In the middle of June, Jacob accompanied the students to Edinburgh, the historic and cultural capital of Scotland. Despite the rainy weather, everyone enjoyed the trip immensely. After a spot of sightseeing, students took the chance to purchase some authentic Scottish souvenirs for friends and family. After all, no trip to Scotland would be complete without picking up a tartan scarf or some traditional Scottish shortbread.

Also in June, some lucky students visited Gibside estate, an area of 600 acres of landscaped gardens and woodland managed by the National Trust. Half the students went into the woodland to help with wildlife conservation, which involved stripping back overgrown vegetation to help provide more space for mining bees to create their nests; the other half promoted Japanese culture in the café, making origami for visitors. Trips such as these are invaluable to our students as they allow them to experience British life outside of the classroom by contributing to the local community in meaningful ways.

  

 school visits. This month, our students visited Shincliffe school – a local primary school located just one mile from Durham centre. During our morning at the school, year 5 students were taught various aspects of Japanese culture, which they thoroughly enjoyed. It is always gratifying to watch the students’ enjoyment after making their first origami. Moments like these can inspire young people to take an interest in Japanese culture and may even spark a lifelong curiosity.

The final adventure of June would see students discover the wonderful Raby Castle with British Culture Lecturer, Terri. A guided tour led the group as they uncovered the rich history of the castle and its grounds, exploring its medieval architecture and grand halls. This was a fantastic opportunity for them to learn about British heritage that connects the classroom with personal experience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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