Marsh Charitable Trust – Marsh Award for Youth Archaeology Project of the Year  

Marsh Award for Youth Archaeology Project of the Year  

This Award is run in Partnership with the Council for Archaeology and recognises a project that has made an outstanding contribution to archaeology and youth engagement, ensuring that the participation of young people was central to the delivery of the work.

These projects have contributed to developing and sustaining the participation of young people and to the broadening understanding of the historic environment.

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Kelsae Archaeology Project 2023

The Kelsae Archaeology Project used archaeology to help tackle the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on two specific groups within the community who were most affected by the lockdowns. These two groups included young people who were struggling to re-engage with formal education and isolated older members of the community. The project focused on the study of historic buildings in the town centre and how they have changed over time. The young people worked to develop the skills required to carry out the project such as historical research, gravestone recording, historic building recording and archaeological surveying and excavation on the specific buildings they had chosen to investigate. The young people decided to present their findings through workshops with people in the local community and in care homes, and all participates had the opportunity to create small clay model buildings. Older participants had the chance to share their memories and experiences of the town and the changes that they have seen over the years. The team were keen to expand their archaeological skills further and so they arranged a visit to the Twelve Towers of Rule project at the site of Bedrule Castle, Scotland, to carry out site surveys and excavation that helped to advance the knowledge of this little known site. The team then delivered an interactive workshop to share their thoughts and findings of this site. The project has had an ongoing impact and shown how young people can become engaged with local heritage through a youth led, hands-on approach.

Previous Winners

Stiances Archaeological Project 

The Stiances Archaeological Project provides pupils at Newick Primary School with a unique opportunity to become directly involved with an archaeological project within their local area. The school runs an archaeological week during which some 250 children and a range of local people experience a range of archaeological activities. The week culminates in a public open day which in the past has attracted more than 200 people. The landowner agreed to the instigation of an archaeological project in Newick, a site first identified as being of archaeological interest in the 1970s and initial investigation started in 2010. Surveys and works revealed an assortment of post-medieval finds including pottery, clay pipes, brick and tiles. Other activities undertaken included site reconnaissance, examination of historic maps, and identifying finds. Over the week the pupils had the opportunity to participate in all of these activities and the results of their finds are provided on the public open day. The older pupils contribute to the successful running of the project by acting as mentors to the younger children and a ‘buddy’ system means that they can pass on their knowledge and experience while supporting them.  