South West: "Groundwell Ridge Community Archaeology Project"
Groundwell Ridge Community Archaeology Project took place at a Roman site which was discovered in the north of Swindon during the building of new housing in the late 1990s. The threatened area of Groundwell Ridge was bought by Swindon Borough Council and English Heritage, protected as a Scheduled Ancient Monument and incorporated into an area of public space . A number of excavations have taken place at the site, including a Time Team Big Dig in 2003.
The Community Archaeology Project in 2004 was managed by the English Heritage Centre for Archaeology, with the support of the Education Officer and Outreach Officer from the South West Region. A Community Education and Outreach Officer was also employed for 6 months to manage the programme of outreach and education activities. These were developed to widen participation and interest in the seven week excavation of the Roman site.
Working in partnership with Swindon Borough Council, and a range of community and voluntary groups in the area, activities included the development of a community website, a drama project and training for local residents as guides for Heritage Open Days.
Swindon residents also took part in the excavation as volunteer archaeologists.
Education activities provided by the Education Officer included a mock excavation for school and youth groups, activity trails and a mosaic for a local school produced by a family learning art group.
Find out more about the site by following the links to
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