Global Graduate Gatherings Dunelm Days celebrations in 2019

Global Graduate Gatherings

2019 marked the fifth anniversary of Durham’s annual global graduate gatherings, Dunelm Days.

Dunelm Days

in Brussels

What are Dunelm Days?

All Dunelm Days are organised and hosted by friendly Durham alumni, with the support of the Alumni Team. Events can be big or small, and must be held in November (other alumni events not specific Dunelm Days organised with University support)can be held at anytime of the year). They are a fantastic opportunity to meet new people in your local area, catch up with old friends, and reminisce about your time at Durham.

Dunelm Days

in Chengdu

We were on a mission to celebrate this milestone in style, by making Dunelm Days 2019 the biggest celebration to date. We think we achieved this, with over 60 events across 33 countries taking place last November – all thanks to incredible volunteers in the Durham alumni community. Just under 700 alumni and friends got involved and participated in an event in their local area. As you can imagine, November 2019 was an extremely busy month for the Development and Alumni Relations Office (DARO). We had up to seven events taking place on some days, in multiple time zones across Europe, North America, Asia and Australasia, including: •

Sydney kicking off the 2019 celebrations with a ‘Ghostly Dine’ experience, featuring a dinner and a private ‘ghost tour’ of the North Head Quarantine

Station;

Durham itself holding a reception during the UK’s biggest light festival, Lumiere (see also pages 18-19); colleagues from DARO meeting alumni and friends at The Gherkin in London for a drinks reception, to celebrate Durham connections ahead of the Lord Mayor’s

Show, where alumnus William Russell was appointed Lord Mayor of London; in Jakarta, alumni enjoying afternoon tea; alumni meeting up for picnics and jogging activities in China.

Get involved

Wherever you are in the world, you will not be too far from someone who has a Durham connection. With over 200,000 alumni around the world currently, we want to continue growing these annual global gatherings along with the increasing alumni body. Whether you’ve celebrated with us in the past or you’re reading about our Dunelm Days global graduate gatherings for the first time, why not get involved with your local Durham community this year? Please make sure that your alumni record is up to date with your current location and email address, so that we can invite you to events in your area.

“The event was attended by friendly, open-minded people, all of whom had had a more recent experience of Durham than my own and [were] interested in sharing views – enriching for

all, I think.” – Tübingen Dunelm Day

Dunelm Days

in Exeter

“They’re a great chance to catch up with new and old alumni in a setting that is a little different to regular catch-up drinks.” – London Dunelm Day

Dunelm Days

in Kuala Lumper

Dunelm Days

in Boston

Get in touch

We’d love to hear from you, if you would like to get involved in a 2020 global gathering as either a guest or a host. Email us at

alumni.volunteer@durham.ac.uk #GG20