Jack Goodchild

Jack has been interested in the past ever since he was young and has a great obsession with palaeontology. He then took interest in the human past, watching documentaries, historical programmes and read up on many different time periods, researching to ensure he fully understood as much as possible. Jack has a true appreciation for what we can discover from all types of objects and material culture and wants to pass on his passion to others, and this year he was chosen as the history lead for his year group at school. Jack’s main areas of passion are the Incas, Mayans and World War II, and loves the variety that the past has to offer. He has been to visit historical locations in Spain and London to further his knowledge. Jack has recently done his archaeology badge as a Cub Scout and made sure to share all of his knowledge with the other Cub Scout group members and takes every opportunity he can to tell his friends and peers all about archaeology.   

Roisin Hogarth

Roisin is an active member of the Flodden Young Archaeologists’ Club (YAC) and has a particular enthusiasm for archaeological fieldwork. She has participated in many community excavations where she has managed to improve her own skills and help less experienced members develop theirs. She enjoys sharing her knowledge and skills with younger members of the club and often acts as a volunteer to help run archaeological activities at public events, including The Royal Highland Show and Heritage Open Days. Earlier this year, Roisin became a member of the YAC Steering Group, providing a young person’s voice to discussions around the development and future direction of YACs. She is an extremely active participant in local community heritage projects and spends most of her weekends and school holidays working alongside other volunteers, community archaeology groups and professional archaeologists. Roisin is a well-known, liked and respected figure on the archaeology circuit and has been heavily involved in a number of projects.

Rosie

Rosie is a passionate young archaeologist who is an active member of both Chiltern and Aylesbury YAC. She volunteers through Oxford Continuing Education which has enabled her to extend her skillsets beyond taking part in digs. Her best find at a dig was a pocket watch with an inscription which was traced back to the family of the original owner.

Rosie has contributed to crowdfunding projects and is part way through an online course entitled “How to do Archaeology” which will help her hone her skills. She has started a blog with archaeologist interviews, dig diaries and crafts and uses social media to publicise this amongst the young archaeologists community.

Rosie is an enthusiastic archaeologist who takes every opportunity to learn more and share her passion. She shares her knowledge and experiences across the whole of the archaeological community, bringing them all together.

Cassie

17-year-old Cassie has, for the last three years, taken part in the Ribchester Revisited project, a long-term excavation of Ribchester Roman fort in Lancashire. Cassie has shown a great deal of enthusiasm for the project and embracing every aspect of the project, from excavation to small finds photography.

Cassie volunteers on weekends and spent a full two weeks working on the dig. She helps younger volunteers on site, passing on her skills and enthusiasm to them and other volunteers. Her dedication to the project, and archaeology in general, has been recognised by a number of members of the project.

Don O’Meara, Regional Science Advisor for Historic England, commented that Cassie “displays the best attributes of someone who wants to study and work as an archaeologist, which is to be constantly torn as to what to focus on, and enthusiastically embracing each aspect of research or fieldwork you discuss with her”.

Nathaniel

Nathaniel has had an intense enthusiasm for Archaeology, especially for Roman History, since the age of 8. He first identified Roman artefacts including coins and pottery, on a visit to  the Roman town of Calleva Atrebatum in Hampshire.

Nathaniel is now 17 and has a vast collection of artefacts that have been found at Calleva. He has individually identified each item using his own knowledge and has further researched the town maps of Calleva to compare his finds, which has led him to believe that there could have been a temple on the site.

Nathaniel was featured on Antiques Roadshow in June 2016 showcasing his collection and has also shared his love and knowledge of archaeology with his friends and family. His passion for archaeology is so infectious that some of his friends have now begun to show an interest and hope to accompany Nathaniel in joining a re-enactment society on the Romans during the 1st and 2nd Century. He has worked hard to develop his skills in identifying Roman pottery and also in the cleaning of anything he finds in order to preserve them and prevent any damage being caused to them.

William

In 2014, the Leeds Young Archaeologist Club was launched and William was one of its founding members. He is always keen to enthusiastically share his knowledge about the past, in particular military heritage. William has been heavily involved with the club since it was started, sometimes being the club’s only member! As the group has grown, he has encouraged new members and actively participated in all topics the club has covered. William always brings in objects to share with the group and his camera to take photographs and particularly enjoys imparting and expanding his knowledge through deep discussions with branch leaders. William loves to enhance his knowledge by asking lots of questions and actively joins in group discussions with detailed explanations. William is still as enthused and engaged as he was when the club was formed and it is admiring to see how he actively champions the Leeds Young Archaeologist Club.

Lynda

Lynda first joined the Canterbury Young Archaeologists’ Club in 2007, when she was 9 year’s old, and is the branch’s longest serving member. From the start she has been avidly interested in archaeology and aspires to be an Archaeological Conservator.

Lynda has taken part in a number of activities such as surveying, recording and digging. As a volunteer on the Randall Community Dig for three weeks, she used her experience to supervise and support family groups on excavation sites. Lynda is a positive role model to other young people and an excellent archaeologist.