Community invited to make history

Mercian Archaeological Services and volunteers ahve started a 12 day archaeological excavation in gardens in Edwinstowe. Mark Spencer MP and Ade Andrews, the official Robin Hood Mascot, joined volunteers for the launch.

Residents are taking part not only by lending manual labour to the project, but also by allowing volunteers to excavate their gardens.

Over 100 individual volunteers and villagers have signed up to take part over 12 days in archaeological excavation to celebrate the Festival of British Archaeology.

Alongside those who have signed up are adults with learning disabilities the local Beavers group schools, care homes and adult education groups.

Andy Gaunt, director at Mercian Archaeological Services CIC, said: “The is about the community and getting as many people involved as possible.

“Archaeologically, it is a very important project, but we are doing it as a community thing. It is not just the preserve of academics and professionals.

“Volunteers get to learn about the area and how to do archeology as well.”

The dig has been designed to research three different areas.

Firstly, the Robin Hood’s Village Volunteer Dig hopes to uncover pottery from the seventh century, linking it to Saxon times.

Secondly, its organisers believe the name Edwinstowe means Edwin’s Holy Place - a reference to King Edwin of Northumbria - and are keen to find evidence linking him with the village.

And thirdly, Andy wants to disprove the theory that people lived in farms during medieval times by finding artefacts dating the medieval-looking village with that period.

He added: “Archaeology normally only takes place when someone wants to build something for planning. But by involving the community it give us the opportunity to go into people’s gardens.

“This is research-led rather than building-led.”

The project, which still has room for more volunteers, has a following of 5.400 people on Facebook.

It has already accommodated a volunteer from Australia and has seen interest from people in the USA and Brazil, due to its connection with world-famous Sherwood Forest.

Robin Hood’s Village Volunteer Dig finishes on 25th August.

Once all the finds have been processed and documented, its results will be available to the public on Mercian Archaeological Services’s website, Facebook and other platforms.

If you would like to find out more visit www.facebook.com/MercianArch.