Community Archaeology Specialist Training Pilot

Delivery of training to enhance skills and wellbeing for participants engaging in community archaeology.

Over 200,000 people in the UK participate in community archaeology groups annually, improving their wellbeing, skills and social connections. A survey by The Council for British Archaeology identified that many participants lack sufficient training to achieve their full potential, reducing the quality and impact of community-led research and experiences. The survey identified Finds Identification as their most common training need.

This pilot project addressed the skills gap by providing training that integrated with active archaeological research. Led by the School of History, Archaeology and Religion, volunteers were trained to identify common archaeological finds such as animal bone and pottery from an active excavation of a Roman shrine complex of national significance at Teffont Evias Estate, Wiltshire, alongside professional archaeological specialists,

Project partners included The Wiltshire Museum, Wiltshire Archaeology Field Group, a Freelance zooarchaeologist, Wessex Archaeology Ltd and The Teffont Evias Estate.

Volunteers were surveyed before and after participation to measure self-assessed changes in skills, wellbeing and social connections. The project improved social connections, wellbeing, resilience and skills sharing across multiple community archaeology groups.

Commitment to the long-term sustainability and impact of this project has been established through training initiatives, a co-curated community exhibition, annual community events, and the provision of volunteering opportunities reaching over 1,000 people. Three project participants have successfully begun archaeology degrees as a result of placements for 16-18-year-olds, and many project participants have commenced or continued volunteering in archaeology. Several participants have gone on to undertake independent research.

Data from this pilot project will be used in a follow-on bid to develop a toolkit for the delivery of the training model to expand the project to gain more participant feedback across the UK.