Community Liaison
Community Liaison
Community Liaison is a small team that supports positive community life across Durham for both students and residents. Our team, led the Community Liaison Manager, includes 4 Student Community Wardens who work with students living off campus to help them feel supported, informed, and connected to the neighbourhoods around them.
Community Wardens
The Wardens offer friendly, peer‑to‑peer guidance on the things that shape everyday life: housing, sustainability, waste and recycling, and the general practicalities of living in the community. Together, we also help respond when concerns arise, working with students, residents, and partners to find practical and constructive ways forward.
The Good Neighbour Agreement
The Good Neighbour Agreement sits at the centre of a lot of our work. It encourages students to think about how everyday actions – such as noise, parking, or putting bins out correctly – can affect the people living around them. The aim is not just to address problems when they happen, but to encourage mutual respect and positive relationships within Durham’s neighbourhoods.
Residents Forum
The Durham University and Residents’ Forum brings residents, students, the university and local partners together for open, honest conversations about what it’s like to live in Durham – and how challenges can be worked through collaboratively.
Spring Festival Fireworks
On 16th February 2026, Durham University volunteers helped bring the Spring Festival Fireworks to life at Durham Amateur Rowing Club – a vibrant evening of culture, food and community drawing students, local families, elderly residents and young children together.
Three food vendors brought flavours from Thailand, China and beyond, while inside the boat club, visitors enjoyed a hands-on “Create Your Own Orbit of the Earth and the Moon” workshop led by Durham’s STEM interns, calligraphy sessions and a live guzheng performance – with the performer inviting members of the public to try the instrument themselves.
A powerful reminder of what volunteering can achieve – not just supporting an event, but creating spaces where people feel welcome, represented and connected.
This is my first Chinese New Year that I have not celebrated with my family. I thought it could’ve been lonely, but this event has brought my culture to Durham. I would love to volunteer and connect with new people again next year
Operation Lotus
Operation Lotus is a joint initiative between Durham University, Durham Constabulary and Durham County Council, building on several years of work around managing anti-social noise. Supported by the University’s Community Response Team, the initiative focuses on quicker police response, proactive student engagement and clear follow-up, intervening early and responding proportionately to maintain a better balance between student life and the needs of residential communities across Durham.