Northumberland youngsters offered chance to work on Vindolanda archaeological dig

Historic England is giving a £10,000 grant, which will enable The Vindolanda Trust to fund ten bursary places on this summer’s digs at the Roman settlement near Hexham.

Part of the Hadrian’s Wall World Heritage site, Vindolanda is regarded as the most exciting archaeological site in Europe with its wealth of archaeological remains and ongoing excavations, and places on the dig always sell out very quickly.

This demand, and the costs of taking part, is a barrier to participation to some young people so both Historic England and the Vindolanda Trust are keen to tackle this issue.

Four bursary places are non-residential and open to 18-20 year-olds living in the Tyne Valley: the other six bursaries will fund residential places on the dig with young people from across Tyne and Wear and Northumberland (those in NE1 to NE44 postcodes).

The bursaries will cover a two-week placement at the popular annual excavation, working alongside experienced archaeologists. The placements will take place between June and August.

Mike Collins, Historic England’s Lead on Hadrian’s Wall, said: “By opening up this year’s bursaries to young people across a large part of the North East, we hope to inspire a new generation of archaeologists who might have thought this career path was out of their reach.”

Anyone who meets the eligibility criteria is encouraged to apply for a bursary by completing the application form on the Vindolanda website at www.vindolanda.com

The closing date is January 31.