Letters, numbers and conundurhams are making a comeback to the medieval cathedral city of Durham.

Last year’s Countdown in Durham event was Adam’s debut as host, and was a truly joyous occasion for him to both organise and run. He’s delighted and privileged to announce that it’s returning to the co-event scene in 2025.

Date: Saturday, 5th July 2025

Venue: Merryoaks Commmunity Hall (map)

Admission: £12, payable here: paypal.me/adambeach99/12GBP

Hosted by: Adam Beach

Doors open: 10:30

Games to be played: Six 9-rounders followed by 15-round grand final

Refreshments: Various snacks and biscuits

Finishes by: 18:00

Wheelchair accessible?: Yes

Parking onsite?: Yes

Format

The event will be carried out in the three-to-a-table “Lincoln” style, in which attendees will be playing six (thereby hosting three) 9-round preliminary games across three rounds.

Once the heat games have concluded and the scores have been collected, the two top-performing players will come head-to-head in the grand final.

Rough timetable for the day

Doors open: 10:30

Welcome/Round 1 Draw:  11:30–11:45

Round 1: 11:45–13:00

Lunch: 13:00–14:15

Round 2: 14:15–15:15

Round 3: 15:15–16:30

Final: 16:45–17:30

Prizegiving: 17:30–17:45

Post-event group meal plans:

Meal will be booked for 19:15 at Ask Italian in Durham City Centre. Please contact Adam if you’d be interested in coming along.

Payment

Entry fee for the day will be £12 per person, payable to Adam Beach using PayPal. Please remember to select the ‘Friends and Family’ option. If you don’t have PayPal, please contact us at hello@focalcountdown.com to arrange alternate payment options.

Public transport

The community hall is located 1.5 miles southwest of Durham Railway Station — the station being located in the city centre. If you want to get your steps in, it’s a 36-minute walk from there according to Google Maps. If not, there are two bus services that run from the bus station, which stop within a five-minute walking distance of the venue: Arriva’s 7 towards Darlington, and Go North East’s X21 towards West Auckland. Alight at the Douglas Gardens stop, which is one stop after the Duke of Wellington.

Any questions?

Feel free to get in touch with us at hello@focalcountdown.com

Attending or organising a FOCAL event is subject to the Code of Conduct.