Cambridge Community Heritage Phase Two

Lead Research Organisation: University of Cambridge
Department Name: Archaeology & Anthropology

Abstract

This project will enable the Cambridge Community Heritage team at the University of Cambridge to provide academic support, advice, training and assistance to 24 community groups running heritage-related community projects funded by HLF as part of their 'All Our Stories' programme in 2013. Thousands of people are likely to be involved in these projects in varying capacities, and this proposal will enable the University of Cambridge to impact on the lives and activities of large numbers of people, most of whom have little or no previous experience of carrying out community heritage projects, or of carrying out research (with or without university support).

Cambridge Community Heritage (CCH) helped 25 community groups bid to HLF in summer 2012, providing tailored, individual advice and encouragement. 22 of these were successful (an 88% success rate, compared to a national success rate of c. 50%). and the effective support provided CCH is considered to be a major factor in such a high success rate. This proposal for Phase 2 'Follow-up' funding aims to build on the Phase 1 success of CCH and the community groups by enabling CCH to provide ongoing intelligently targeted support to 24 community groups who have requested this from CCH during the delivery phase of their project. The support needs of these groups have been explicitly assessed and identified in consultation with these groups, modes and means for delivering this support have been devised and are detailed in the Case for Support.

In summary, the funds bid for here will enable a team of nine post-doctoral researchers be based at the University of Cambridge to be tasked with supporting the community groups and their projects in 2013. Each group will be linked to a named researcher, with whom they will in most cases already be familiar from Phase 1 of the Cambridge Community Heritage project. The researchers will provide help, advice and support in response to specific enquiries from their groups via phone and e-mail, will also provide some on-site or in-person support to project activities, and will contribute to workshops on specific subjects such as oral history. Researchers will be able to consult with other members of the CCH team, and more widely within the University if this is needed. Researchers will also take responsibility for monitoring the progress of their community projects, of developing close and effective working relationships with groups which will maximise the potential for future research-driven collaborations, and of advising re the collection of feedback from community participants.

All groups and researchers will be able to ask the CCH PI for advice and support if needed, and to make use of a wiki-based website managed and monitored by the CCH project, which will enable members to contribute and share their activities, experiences, enquiries and advice, with the aim of enhancing the sense of wider engagement with different projects and communities amongst community groups and researchers.

An end-of-year workshop will be held in Cambridge for researchers and community group representatives to review experiences and discuss possible future research collaborations. Feedback will be collected from as many participants as possible, in consultation with community groups, to allow impact to be assessed in the short term and in the longer term, to provide data for research into the value of community heritage projects to communities.

The CCH Phase 2 project in 2013 will be run by PI Dr Carenza Lewis, University of Cambridge Department of Archaeology and Director of Access Cambridge Archaeology, who was PI for CCH Phase 1. With appropriate administrative support, Dr Lewis will oversee and facilitate effective collaboration between the large number of project partners (researchers, community groups, university partners and the public), will monitor project progress and ensure project aims are delivered on time and within budget.

Planned Impact

Large numbers of the public and institutions involved in running or taking part in 'All Our Stories' community heritage project funded by the HLF All Our Stories programme will benefit in a wide range of ways from the CCH project, as will the communties hosting the projects.

Within local communities, beneficiaries will include (i) community group members; (ii) those running the community projects; (iii) people taking part in and making an active contribution to the substance of the project (eg as interviewees, volunteers, performers, etc); (iv) 'casual engagers' with the project (eg visitors to excavations, viewers of exhibitions, attendees at performances, visitors to websites etc). (v) museums and other local heritage centres (vi) Local shops, businesses and service industries.

People of all ages and backgrounds will be involved in researching their heritage and communicating their discoveries, including primary and secondary school children, adults, families, retired people and people with special needs, from a wide range of rural, urban and transient communities. The University of Cambridge involvement will be an added spur to interest, and provide an opportunity to raise academic aspirations amongst people of all ages.

Members of groups i-iv will benefit from enhanced knowledge and understanding of the heritage which is the subject of the project; enhanced appreciation and care for the project heritage; enhanced sense of connection with the project heritage; enhanced knowledge and understanding of wider heritage related to the project; enhanced appreciation and care for aspects of wider heritage; enhanced sense of connection with wider heritage; better knowledge, appreciation and sense of connection with the University of Cambridge.

Positive impacts on health are anticipated as participants will in many cases be engaged in physical activity, while emotional well-being will be positively impacted amongst participants by sharing in group activities within and beyond their local communities. Communities will be benefited by enhanced community cohesion engendered by public endeavours shared within between diverse participating individuals and sectors.

Public and private institutions such as museums and local archives will benefit from increased use of their resources. Small businesses such as local shops will benefit during community activities and events from increased footfall as participants buy materials, meals etc locally, and in providing services supporting the delivery of projects, such as printing leaflets, manufacturing signboards etc. Community centres village halls etc are likely to see increased use.

Where new resources such as heritage trails and visitor centres are being created, such increased use is likely to endure beyond the end of the project. Likewise, skills, knowledge, interests and enhanced community cohesion is likely to represent a legacy which will outlive the project.

The outcomes of the project are likely to be of interest to the heritage industry (local, regional, national and possibly internationally; public engagement teams in universities/local government; and local and national community cohesion teams/policy units.
 
Description AHRC-funded Cambridge Community Heritage (CCH) (2012-13) involved nine University of Cambridge researchers in Archaeology, History, Heritage and Public Engagement under PI Dr Carenza Lewis in collaborating with community groups in eastern England to run heritage-related community projects, bringing researchers and communities together to explore, uncover and record aspects of community heritage. CCH was a follow-on project from Cambridge Collaborations for Community Heritage in 2012, in which the Cambridge team helped groups develop ideas and apply for Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) funding to run heritage-related projects.



A fundamental principle of the CCH programme was that the project ideas came from the communities themselves, rather than being suggested by academics. Each project therefore involved community groups in exploring aspects of the heritage which were important to them. Throughout 2013, CCH worked with a diverse range of community groups to support the delivery of projects which were funded by the HLF under its 'All Our Stories' strand. Groups included those representing and supporting communities of place, occupation, interest and identity, including local historical societies, football clubs, church groups, traveller communities, schools, women's groups and military regiments.



The CCH programme at the University of Cambridge successfully extended research networks beyond academia by involving individuals, groups and schools in jointly developing and running collaborative community heritage projects, helping break down perceptions that research is an exclusive and inaccessible activity: Cambridge Community Heritage offered anyone and everyone the chance to get involved in heritage-related research projects in, with, about and for their own communities. Individuals, community groups, special interest societies and schools contributed their ideas, knowledge, contacts, enthusiasm and hard work, with the University of Cambridge adding expertise, experience and knowledge as required in order to run valuable, viable research projects that would otherwise have been impossible.



In taking part in these projects, particiants advanced knowledge and understanding of their heritage while also enriching communities as they and others forged new social connections, developed new skills and gained new perspectives on their surroundings and the wider world. The diverse range of projects delivered a host of new perspectives on different heritages and a wealth of resources for future research, instilled new research skills and other transferrable skills in participants, developed new networks for the future and allowed researchers, especially the three project ECRs, to develop experience and skills in engaging wider publics in research activity.



More than 4,400 members of the public were actively involved with CCH in 2013 in one way or another. Very few had any previous experience of research, and even fewer of collaborating with universities in conducting research. Feedback showed that participation significantly increased community group participants' knowledge of their heritage (87%) and their sense of connection with their heritage (89%). Even greater was the positive impact that involvement had on participants' attitude to collaborating with universities in co-producing research (94%).



Project-specific research outcomes from the 25 projects were many and varied. One specific example was in respect of new knowledge and understanding about historic settlement development, derived from test pit excavations which were carried out by hundreds of members of several different eastern English communities including Toft, West Wickham, Shillington, Foxearth, Meldreth, Wimpole and six along the Gaywood valley. As a consequence, academics, heritage professionals and local residents now benefit from an informed understanding of how each of these communities developed spatially and demographically in the longue duree, and the ways in which these developmental trajectories compare and conatrast with each other. Thus in aggregate, these results have also advanced understanding of wider patterns of long-term change. Each project has generated a written technical report with maps showing the distribution of material of different dates, which will be submitted to local archives (including HERs), form the basis of papers in journals and summaries published in Medieval Settlement Research, the journal of MSRG, the scholarly research group for medieval settlement studies. The results will also feed into ongoing research into the development of settlement, landscape and demography in southern England.



A number of CCH projects collected living memories and oral histories which have been recorded, transcribed and archived, with much material provided by older community members recalling decades-old experiences, lifestyles and lifeways, many predating the second warld war and most now in decline or entirely extinct. Projects invoving members of some very hard-to-reach groups such as travellers, as well as others traditionally secretive about their specialist 'guild knowledge' such as horsemen, produced particularly valuable outputs as these accounts can often be impossibly inaccessible to outsiders. Resulting recordings, transcripts and films represent an invaluable resource for researchers interested in society, community, technology and change. Numerous local history CCH projects have likewise helped community volunteers create and disseminate collations which would have been impossible to achieve otherwise and which will be of value to future researchers into local histories and communities of place. Several groups created heritage centres, trails or school packs which will draw others into finding out about and/or participating in community heritage. A compulsory requirement by HLF that community groups should disseminate their results via digital outputs as well as community events ensured the outcomes were widely disseminated and much appreciated in the short term, and will remain accessible in the longer term.



Broader outcomes of CCH relate to the impact the projects have had on individuals and communities who have participated or been involved. Attitudes are typified by the Saffron Walden project, in which CCH worked with school students and the local museum to find, unearth and date the previously unproven line of the 12th century castle bailey in their local town, culminating in a report which will contribute to advancing wider understanding of medieval town development. The ?Saffron Walden community project leader commented that "The support was accessible, friendly, practical and pitched just right throughout. The way in which support and workshops were provided from pre-application to concluding celebration was exemplary and a useful lesson for me (as a museum curator) in how to work in participation with community groups. The intense 'dig week' was great fun and a thoroughly memorable and inspiring experience all round - all project participants felt it was a privilege..."



The postive impact of the CCH programme was extremely, and demonstrably, high. Overall, when asked to rate the impact of their CCH project experience on a scale of 1-10 (with 1 being lowest and 10 highest), feedback from the 23/25 of the community groups who responded rated their experience of participating overwhelmingly positively, with average overall score of precisely 9/10. 100% of respondents felt they had gained new knowledge about their heritage, and 89% felt they had learned more about other people who were interested in their heritage. The impact that involvement in the project had on communities' attitudes to working with universities was even more positive: attitudes to working with university researchers rated 9.1/10 average; attitudes to the University of Cambridge generally rated 9.3/10 and the prospect of collaborating again in the future averaged 9.4/10.



Overall, CCH showed that working with community groups and communities delivered new contacts, new ideas and boundless energy and enthusiasm, and had an invigorating effect on attitudes to research, within and beyond HEIs. CCH successfully developed and delivered new ways of developing new research topics by inviting the public to propose ideas, rather than the academic community - initiating many new avenues of investigation which would not have been embarked upon otherwise. CCH broke the conventional research mould by involving the public as active instigators, enablers and participants in the research, rather than as passive subjects or observers of research. CCH also showed the extent and ways in which the contribution of academic researchers made non-academic HLF-funded projects more confident, more successful and more academically robust than would otherwise have been possible.
Exploitation Route As the CCH programme was seated throughout in non-academic contexts, it is self-evident that the ways of working can be used in non-academic contexts, as they have already been proven to work in a wide range of such arenas.



The methods used in the CCH programme can clearly be used in a very wide range of wide non-academic contexts to inspire, develop and develiver programmes of activity which advance academic knowledge and understanding and also enrich communities and build social capital by instilling new skills, expanding social networks and enhancing understanding of, and hence appreciation of, local environments and local heritage.



CCH and its precursor (Cambridge Collaborations for Community Heritage) have together created both a framework and a modus operandi for creating and nurturing productive and community research networks that could be deployed to benefit wider publics very widely indeed.
Sectors Communities and Social Services/Policy,Creative Economy,Education,Environment,Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections
URL http://www.access.arch.cam.ac.uk/communities/cch
 
Description Throughout 2013 CCH worked with 28 community groups to support them in running heritage projects for which they had secured funding from HLF, CCH supported more than 5,400 members of communities of place, occupation, interest and identity including local historical societies, football clubs, church groups, traveller communities, schools, women's groups and military regiments explore their heritage. This wide range of projects delivered new perspectives on different heritages and a wealth of resources for future research, instilled new skills amongst participants and developed new networks for the future. 97% of respondents felt participation had increased knowledge of their heritage, and the average rating for the extent to which the projects had increased participants' sense of connection with their heritage was 8.6/10. Attitudes to collaborating with universities in co-producing research averaged 9/10 (90%). The CCH programme involved 28 different community groups all running different projects each involving 3-10 different engagement activities. The time required to enter each of these on Researchfish as a separate Engagement Activity is too great for this to be realistically possible, but the activities are included in the overall Report to AHRC by PI Dr C Lewis which is included as one of the pubblications stemming from this project.
First Year Of Impact 2013
Sector Communities and Social Services/Policy,Creative Economy,Education,Environment,Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections
Impact Types Cultural,Societal
 
Description Connected Communities Showcase Supplementary Fundnig
Amount £15,528 (GBP)
Organisation Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 01/2013 
End 03/2013
 
Description Ashwell Museum 
Organisation Ashwell Museum
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution CCH helped Ashwell Museum develop their AOS bid and provided training, advice, support and supervision during the delivery phase in project management and legal guidance, publicity and recruitment, developing digital outputs, information packs and displays, using archives, carrying out their field-walking, printing and celebrating their results. A total of 11 additional support needs. Ashwell Museum?s ?Ashwell Archaeology? project enabled members of the local village community to carry out archaeological field-walking around the village of Ashwell in order to enhance knowledge and understanding of the historic development of the settlement of Ashwell and its hinterland. A film was made of the results, disseminated via the website.
Collaborator Contribution Ashwell Museum's project enabled residents of Ashwell (Herts) to carry out archaeological field-walking around the village of Ashwell in order to enhance knowledge and understanding of the historic development of the settlement of Ashwell and its hinterland. A film was made of the activity and disseminated via the website. A report on the results will be produced in due course.
Impact - Ashwell Archaeology on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ashwell-Archaeology/220513771338285?fref=ts - Ashwell Archaeology on Historypin http://www.historypin.com/channels/view/52340/#!photos/list/ - Fieldwalk November 2013 YouTube video http://youtu.be/g6pmCL2JQYU Primary school pupils from Ashwell School participated in field-walking on 17th November 2013. Kris Lockyer, Senior Lecturer in Archaeology at UCL, conducted a geophysical survey on the land field-walked by Ashwell Archaeology and Will Fletcher, English Heritage Inspector of Ancient Monuments, volunteered his time and expertise to the project.
Start Year 2013
 
Description Cambridge Archaeological Field Group 
Organisation Cambridge Archaeology Field Group
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution In 2012 CCH helped CAFG develop their successful AOS bid and in 2013 provided training, advice, support and supervision during the delivery phase in aspects of project management and legal guidance, press and PR management, recruitment, developing information packs and display, using archives and carrying out some of their investigations, printing and celebrating their results. 15 phase 2 support needs were identified/met.
Collaborator Contribution Cambridge Archaeological Field Group's project involved groups members in field-walking, geophysics and test pit excavations around the sites of dispersed medieval settlements in the grounds of Wimpole Hall, where few standing buildings apart from Wimpole Hall and Farm now exist and little documentary evidence attests to the medieval settlements or to explain their final abandonment. An informative, well-illustrated written report on the results, which showed how settlement and landuse changed over more than 3,000 years, was published as a booklet.
Impact - Cambridge Archaeology Field Group. 2014. Wimpole: silent voices and deserted homes. Cambridge, Cambridge Archaeology Field Group. - http://www.cafg.net/Wimpole/WimpoleBooklet.pdf - Wimpole: silent voices and deserted homes http://www.cafg.net/archive.aspx?a=prj - Celebration exhibition posters http://www.cafg.net/wimpole/CAFG%202013%201.pdf - CAFG on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/CambridgeArchaeologyFieldGroup?fref=ts The Wimpole Hall estate, managed by the National Trust, gave permission for field-walking and test-pit excavations to take place on their land, and the end of the project was marked with a celebration and exhibition at Wimpole Hall on the weekend of 25th & 26th January 2014. A poster display subsequently went to the Cambridge Central Library and the Spring 2014 Cambridge Antiquarian Society conference. The test-pits were open to the public as part of the Council for British Archaeology's Festival of Archaeology in July 2013. Jigsaw trained CAFG members in the use of resistivity equipment at the Wimpole estate in July 2013. Paul Blinkhorn, freelance pottery specialist, identified the pottery from field-walking and test-pit digging. - CAFG on Historypin http://www.historypin.com/channels/view/52904/#!photos/list/
Start Year 2012
 
Description Cambridge United Football Club - 100 Years of Coconuts 
Organisation Cambridge United F.C.
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution CUFC approached CCH in November 2012 after their HLF bid was successful and in 2013 received training, advice, support and supervision during the delivery phase in aspects of legal matters, procurement and standards, working with the public, developing digital and web outputs, using archives, filming and oral history interviewing and in printing, archiving and celebrating their results. 20 phase 2 support needs were identified/met.
Collaborator Contribution Cambridge United Football Club's centenary project engaged the local community in the club's history by creating an audio archive of the memories of early players, managers and fans of the club, a performance showing historical aspects of life for past players, managers and fans and a smartphone 'app' which allows users to explore the history of the club, access memorabilia, memories and the performance as they tour the grounds.
Impact - 100 Years of Coconuts http://www.100yearsofcoconuts.co.uk/ - 100 Years of Coconuts on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/100-Years-of-Coconuts/240094772737189 CUFC had a marquee at the Cambridge Big Weekend on Parker's Piece on 6th July 2013 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the FA rules, which was supported by property developers Grosvenor.
Start Year 2013
 
Description Ely Wildspace - Memories of Ely Pits and Meadows 
Organisation Ely Wildspace
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution In 2012 CCH helped Ely Wildspace develop their successful AOS bid and in 2013 provided requested training, advice, support and supervision during the delivery phase in aspects of standards compliance, using archives and in printing and archiving their results. Four phase 2 support needs were identified/met.
Collaborator Contribution Ely Wildspace recorded local residents' memories of Ely's pits and meadows, including memories of digging clay; army activities during WW2; the activities and wildlife records leading to Natural England's 2009 SSSI designation; recreational and agricultural use of the land and swimming in the Blue Lagoon. The results were disseminated via the website, podcast, transcript and annotated guide and will also become part of a longer term history project to create a Heritage Trail.
Impact - Memories of Ely Pits and Meadows http://memoriesofelypitsandmeadows.com/
Start Year 2013
 
Description FenArch 
Organisation Fenland Archaeological Society (FenArch)
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution After hearing their AOS bid was successful, FenArch approached CCH in November 2012 and in 2013 received training, advice, support and supervision during the delivery phase in aspects of grant management and legal matters, PR, developing resources of all types, photography and filming, and archiving, celebrating and reporting their results. 18 phase 2 support needs were identified/met.
Collaborator Contribution The Fenland Archaeological Society project involved group members and local schools in field-walking and excavation in Cambridgeshire's Fenland exploring new and little-known Roman settlements. The results were disseminated using digital media at talks at various museum societies and public events and via educational resources taken into the region's schools.
Impact - FenArch on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/FenArch-Fenland-Archaeological-Society/212510745509452?fref=ts - FenArch on Twitter https://twitter.com/FenArch Norfolk Historic Environment Service offered FenArch advice and access to their aerial photograph archive. Finds identification and reporting for field-walking finds was conducted by Oxford Archaeology East. Members of FenArch attended a training day in pottery identification run by Jigsaw on 2nd March 2013 led by Mark Knight and Matt Brudenell of Cambridge Archaeological Unit, and another training day organised by Jigsaw on magnetometry in July 2013. Alex Fisher of FenArch gave a talk to primary school pupils at Burrowmoor Primary School in July 2013. FenArch provided a display about their project to March and Wisbech public libraries over the fortnight of the Council for British Archaelology's Festival of Archaeology in July 2013.
Start Year 2013
 
Description Foxearth Church Heritage Initiative 
Organisation Foxearth Church Heritage Initiative
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution After hearing their AOS bid was successful, Foxearth Church Heritage Initiative approached CCH in November 2012 asking for support in the delivery phase of their project in aspects of project management, publicity and recruitment, using historical archives and supervising archaeological excavations. 11 phase 2 support needs were identified/met.
Collaborator Contribution Foxearth Church Heritage Initiative carried out archaeological test pit excavations to introduce local residents including schoolchildren to their buried heritage and created a local Heritage Centre within the parish church to present and display the results. They also recorded interviews with village residents as a follow-up to a similar initiative in 1987, enabling young & old to explore how life has changed. The results were presented in a book.
Impact Lavenham Press published and printed a book produced about the history of Foxearth at the end of the project. Managing a Masterpiece contributed towards the cost of the display cabinets purchased for the heritage centre. - Cox, C. 2014. Foxearth Treasures: a social history of Foxearth and guide to the parish church of SS. Peter and Paul. Sudbury, Coscox.
Start Year 2013
 
Description Freudian Slips 'It will all come out in the wash' 
Organisation Freudian Slips
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution In 2012 CCH helped Freudian Slips develop their successful AOS bid and in 2013 provided additional requested support for the delivery phase of the project in legal matters and procurement, PR and recruitment, developing digital and web resources, using archives, filming and oral history and in printing, archiving and celebrating their results. 16 phase 2 support needs were identified/met.
Collaborator Contribution Freudian Slips' project recorded stories of past and present female laundry workers in Cambridge, documenting their working lives and some of the key events which have taken place particularly in the past fifty years. These stories were placed as pod-casts on the project website and broadcast on community radio, and formed the basis for creative writing culminating in a multi-media performance piece in March 2014.
Impact An exhibition was held at the Cambridge Museum of Technology in collaboration with women's photography group, CamIris during the weekend of 14th and 15th September 2013. Two performances called 'Freshly Laundered Smalls', inspired by the exhibition, were presented at the Ross Street Community Centre in Cambridge on 29th March 2014.
Start Year 2012
 
Description Friends of Corhampton Church: 'Saxons in the Meon Valley' 
Organisation Friends of Corhampton Saxon Church
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution After hearing their AOS bid was successful, Friends of Corhampton Church approached CCH through NCCPE in November 2012 and in 2013 received advice and support from CCH during the delivery phase in aspects of developing resources, specialist knowledge and archiving, celebrating and reporting their results. Four phase 2 support needs were identified/met.
Collaborator Contribution The Friends of Corhampton Church involved around 1000 members of local communities, including school children, in working with expert partners and resources in exploring, learning about, and celebrating the Saxon heritage of the area more than 200 local residents and a similar number of in a range of activities exploring the evidence for Anglo-Saxon activity in the Meon Valley (Hampshire), including metal detecting, aerial photographic interpretation, field-walking, site visits and school visits.
Impact The activities were blogged and posted online and contributed to a new edition of a local/church history booklet. In addition, the resources created are now rolling out to hundreds of schools across Hampshire and the South Downs National Park; to support the new KS2 history curriculum. Steve Hammal of Dark Skies productions has produced and edited films for the project. The Friends of Corhampton Church organised a Saxon school day on 9th May 2013 for pupils at Meinstoke Infant School and Droxford Junior School. The project's East Meon History Day on 28th September 2013 was organised with East Meon Primary School and the East Meon History Group. On their website (http://www.saxonsinthemeonvalley.org.uk/what-are-we-planning-to-do-to-bring-the-story-to-life/our-partner-organisations), the group list the following partner organisations: Bridge Magazine, Cambridge University, Council for British Archaeology, Corhampton & Meonstoke Parish Council, Droxford Junior School, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Community Foundation & LocalGiving.com, Hampshire Constabulary Neighbourhood Police, Hampshire County Council, Hampshire Field Club & Archaeology Society, Liss Archaeology Group, Media Trust/Community Channel, Meonstoke Infants School, Meon Valley Lions, Nottingham University, Regia Anglorum (The Kingdoms of the English), South Downs National Park Authority Sustainability Centre, Tha Engliscan Gesiðas(The English Companions), Wessex Archaeology, William Collins Charity, Winchester Area Community Action (WACA), Winchester Cathedral, Winchester City Council, Winchester City Museum Services. And the following independent archaeologists: Mike Brace (Archaeologist), Mike Gaines (Metal Detectorist), Darren Hammerton (Ancient woodland & woodcraft), Alex Langlands (Landscape of Anglo-Saxon Wessex), Hugh Milner (Ancient woodland), Mark Stedman (Archaeologist), Nick Stoodley (Archaeologist), John Whittaker (Metal Detectorist), Richard Burdett (Metal Detectorist)
Start Year 2013
 
Description Heritage Writtle - 'Historic Writtle - Village life through misfortune and war - Roman period to World War II'. 
Organisation Heritage Writtle
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution In 2012 CCH helped Heritage Writtle develop their successful AOS bid and in 2013 provided additional requested support for the delivery phase of the project in grant management, legal matters and standard, developing digital resources and displays, using archives and conducting oral history interviews. 13 phase 2 support needs were identified/met.
Collaborator Contribution Heritage Writtle researched and produced a local history book about life in Writtle (Essex) during periods of conflict from the Roman era to World War II, synthesising information from archaeological excavations, historic archives, personal memories and local knowledge. The book was launched in 2014 to coincide with the centenary of the start of World War I.
Impact - Heritage Writtle with Writtle Archives. 2014. Historic Writtle: Village life through misfortune and war.
Start Year 2012
 
Description Hildersham Village History Recorders 
Organisation Hildersham Village History Recorders
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution In 2012 CCH helped Hildersham Village History Recorders develop their successful AOS bid, but while accepting the offer of support from CCH in running their project they worked independently on their project in 2013.
Collaborator Contribution Not known
Impact Not known
Start Year 2012
 
Description Meldreth Local History Group: 'Understanding Our Past: Exploring the Hidden History of Meldreth'. 
Organisation Meldreth Local History Group
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution In 2012 CCH helped Meldreth LHG develop their successful AOS bid and in 2013 provided additional support for the delivery phase of the project in project and grant management and legal matters, PR, recruitment and working with special needs, designing displays, using archives, archaeological excavation and archiving their results. 14 phase 2 support needs were identified/met.
Collaborator Contribution Meldreth Local History Group involved scores of local residents in excavating 32 archaeological test pits in order to reconstruct the development over more than 4,000 years of the very attenuated village plan through time, including traces of Bronze Age burial, Roman settlements and a late medieval village laid out over open fields which proved unusually resilient to the crisis of the 14th century, also unearthing an almost unique medieval mirror case from one manorial site.
Impact The activity was filmed and the results disseminated online and archived in a written report. Numerous stories about the project were carried in the local paper (The Royston Crow) - Lewis, C. and Pryor, A. 2014. Archaeological test pit excavations in Meldreth, Cambridgeshire, 2013. Access Cambridge Archaeology report, University of Cambridge http://www.access.arch.cam.ac.uk/reports/cambridgeshire/meldreth/2013/Meldreth2013report.pdf - 2013 Test Pit Project http://www.meldrethhistory.org.uk/category_id__103.aspx - Meldreth Local History Group on Historypin http://www.historypin.com/channels/view/11566/#
Start Year 2012
 
Description One Voice 4 Travellers: 'Open Roads and Eastern Skies: stories of Gypsy women' 
Organisation One Voice 4 Travellers
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution In 2012 CCH helped One Voice 4 Travellers develop their successful AOS bid and in 2013 provided additional support for the delivery phase of the project in all aspects of project management, PR, developing a full range of resources, using archives, filming and oral history, printed information dissemination and reporting to HLF. 41 phase 2 support needs were identified/met.
Collaborator Contribution One Voice 4 Travellers involved female teenage members of the Gypsy community in visiting sites, roadside stopping places and houses and interviewing older gypsy women about their lives. The project aimed to help them and others explore their culture and take pride in their identity, and to develop new skills and confidence in interviewing, co-ordinating, and team working.
Impact A CD of recordings was made by young community members after having interviewed women in their community; they received training and learnt the techniques of interviewing and creating a CD from scratch. This was the first time this group had run a pure oral history project and they found it a very positive experience - though not without challenges, including a death amongst the young people. The personal story-telling was described as 'healing' in many cases, as was the experience of sharing the stories afterwards. A display of work by One Voice 4 Travellers as part of their oral history project was exhibited at the Museum of East Anglian Life in Stowmarket on 21st February 2014. - One Voice 4 Travellers. 2014. Open Roads and Eastern Skies: stories of Gypsy women (CD).
Start Year 2012
 
Description Pirton History Group: 'Small, domestic, timber-framed buildings in Pirton' 
Organisation Pirton History Group
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution In 2012 CCH helped Pirton HG develop their successful AOS bid and in 2013 provided additional support for the delivery phase of the project in developing interactive maps and historic building recording. 5 phase 2 support needs were identified/met.
Collaborator Contribution Pirton History Group involved members of the local village community in recording domestic timber framed buildings in Pirton (Hertfordshire) and in knitting models of these to create a new model village using traditional crafts.
Impact The group attended a course run by the Media Trust about use of film, oral history and photographs in their project in April 2013. Pirton Local History Group's display of knitted houses was awarded a 'Rural Living Commendation' at the Council for the Protection of Rural England Hertfordshire Rural Living Awards in October 2013. - Interactive map http://www.pirtonhistory.org.uk/interactive-map/ - Pirton Local History Group on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pirton-local-history-group/261390490629238?fref=ts - Pirton Local History Group on Historypin http://www.historypin.com/channels/view/52563/#!photos/list/
Start Year 2012
 
Description Rattlesden Local History Group: 'Bringing our archive to life.' 
Organisation Rattlesden Local History Group
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution After hearing their AOS bid was successful, Rattlesden LHG approached CCH in November 2012 asking for support in the delivery phase of their project in all areas of project management, PR, volunteer support and working with special needs, digital outputs, instruction packs and displays, archiving and reporting to HLF. 30 phase 2 support needs were identified/met.
Collaborator Contribution Rattlesden Local History Group made their village archive available for local residents to view and to use as a means of acquiring oral histories by acquiring storage media for the archive, organising sessions when it can be viewed, inviting older residents at the sessions to record their memories and publishing the oral histories.
Impact Rattlesden Local History Group' s village archive was made available for local residents to view and to use.
Start Year 2013
 
Description Royal Anglian Regiment Museum 'Collections of The Royal Anglian Regiment Museum' 
Organisation Royal Anglian Regiment Museum
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution After hearing their AOS bid was successful, the Royal Anglian Regiment Museum approached CCH in November 2012 requesting support from CCH for the delivery phase of their project in respect of legal matters, procurement and standards, developing web resources and exhibitions and archiving their results. 5 phase 2 support needs were identified/met.
Collaborator Contribution The Royal Anglian Regiment Museum's oral history project captured a large bank of audio and video recordings exploring the history of the regiment since its foundation in 1964 as an amalgamation of eastern 10 county regiments, and its impact on the communities from which its soldiers are drawn, focussing on the experiences of the soldiers, their friends and families
Impact The Royal Anglian Regiment Museum's oral history project captured a large bank of audio and video recordings exploring the history of the regiment .
Start Year 2013
 
Description Saffron Walden Museum - Dig on the Common 
Organisation Saffron Walden Museum
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution In 2012 CCH helped Saffron Walden Museum develop their successful AOS bid and in 2013 provided additional support in the delivery phase of the project in project management, legal issues and procurement, all aspect of PR and working with the public, developing instruction packs and displays, photography and filming, additional support for archaeological excavation and hand-out preparation. 17 phase 2 support needs were identified/met.
Collaborator Contribution Saffron Walden Museum's project involved students from two local secondary schools in excavating two trenches to try and find the line of the castle's outer bailey ditch across the common where it had previously been posited to run, but never actually proven to do so. The excavations, combined with geophysical survey successfully found the ditch and unearthed evidence to date it to the mid-12th century. This new knowledge of the castle/town's development will inform wider understanding. The excavations attracted a huge amount of local interest, and were followed up by an open day at Saffron Walden Museum which included displays, presentations and film. The excavation was blogged and a report prepared on the results.
Impact The excavations were organised with the support of Saffron Walden Town Council. Sixth-form students from Saffron Walden County High School and Newport Free Grammar School participated in the dig. A geophysical survey was carried out by Dr Tim Dennis, of the University of Essex, and Ralph Potter with the students and museum volunteers.
Start Year 2012
 
Description Sharnbrook Local History Group: 'Sharnbrook's moated earthwork - castle, manor house or what?'. 
Organisation Sharnbrook Local History Group
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution In 2012 CCH helped Sharnbrook LHG develop their successful AOS bid and in 2013 provided additional support for the delivery phase of the project in developing digital resources and information packs, legal matters around Scheduled Monument Consent, additional support with archaeological excavation, and archiving their results. 4 phase 2 support needs were identified/met. Team members directed the excavations and analysed and reported on the findings.
Collaborator Contribution Sharnbrook Local History Group involved local residents in archaeological excavations on a (previously) undated ditched earthwork in 'Castle Close' on the edge of the village of Sharnbrook. These very successfully showed not only how much archaeological evidence survives intact, but also enabled the site to be firmly dated to the medieval period (specifically the 12th century) for the first time. No historical evidence exists for the site, but it now constitutes a rare and therefore important example of a circular moated site (a rare sub-type) whose date has been archaeologically proven and will be an important addition to the literature.
Impact English Heritage gave consent for excavation on the Scheduled Ancient Monument. The Parish Council, which owns Castle Close, and Beford Borough Council Archaeological Officers supported the project. A geophysical survey near the earthwork was assisted by Rheesearch. The excavation was blogged and a technical report prepared on the results. - Lewis, C. and Pryor, A. 2014. Archaeological investigations on the earthwork in Castle Close, Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire, 2013. Access Cambridge Archaeology report, University of Cambridge - Castle Close Heritage - http://slhg.org.uk/?project=castle-close-heritage - Castle Close on Historypin http://www.historypin.com/channels/view/51552/#!photos/list/
Start Year 2012
 
Description Shillington History Society 'Shillington test pits'. 
Organisation Shillington History Society
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution In 2012 CCH helped Shillington HS develop their successful AOS bid and in 2013 provided additional support for the delivery phase of the project in planning and conducting their archaeological excavations and preparing printed outputs. 4 phase 2 support needs were identified/met. Team members directed the excavations and analysed and reported on the findings.
Collaborator Contribution Shillington History Society involved local residents in the excavation of 26 test pits across this Bedfordshire village. The results revealed evidence for Bronze Age activity, a dispersed pattern of settlement in the Romano-British period which is unusually similar in arrangement to that in the later Anglo-Saxon period, then expanded in the high medieval period only to contract sharply in the later medieval period, probably reflecting the impact of the crises of the 14th century. A written report was prepared on the results.
Impact - Lewis, C. and Pryor, A. 2014. Archaeological test pit excavations in Shillington, Bedfordshire, 2013. Access Cambridge Archaeology report, University of Cambridge http://www.access.arch.cam.ac.uk/reports/cambridgeshire/shillington/2013/Shillington2013report.pdf - Shillington test pits on Historypin http://www.historypin.com/channels/view/52207/#!photos/list/
Start Year 2012
 
Description Shirley Primary School 'All our journeys'. 
Organisation Shirley Primary School
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution In 2012 CCH helped Shirley Primary School develop their successful AOS bid and in 2013 provided additional support for the delivery phase of the project in legal matters, PR and volunteer recruitment, developing digital resources and information packs, filming and oral history, preparation of printed outputs and reporting to HLF. 16 phase 2 support needs were identified/met.
Collaborator Contribution The school serves a diverse, muliticultural area of Cambridge. 50% of our pupils are from different minority ethnic backgrounds and their families have settled permanently in Chesterton, Cambridge although some of them are still travelling for cultural and work reasons. Staff helped pupils map their community's journeys, find out the stories behind them and share them with others. What brought their families to Cambridge and why did they decide to settle here? What work did they do? What did they bring with them? What life-styles did they want and what did they leave behind?
Impact Pupils visited the University of Cambridge Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology and the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences on 15th January 2013. Curators from the two museums then visited the school on the 2nd July 2013 to help the students with ideas for their end of project display. Cambridge local historian, Allan Brigham, gave a tour of Stourbridge Common and the Leper Chapel in Cambridge to the students on 8th May 2013. - Philips, S. 2013 All Our Journeys Resource Pack. http://www.shirley.cambs.sch.uk/upload/All%20Our%20Journeys%20Resource%20Pack_.pdf - All Our Journeys http://www.shirley.cambs.sch.uk/index4.php?WEBYEP_DI=14
Start Year 2012
 
Description Sturmer Local History Group: 'Sturmer Steps - building village identity and knowledge with a railway trail'. 
Organisation Sturmer Local History Group
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution In 2012 CCH helped Sturmer LHG develop their successful AOS bid and in 2013 provided additional support for the delivery phase of the project in project/grant management and legal issues, volunteer support and working with special needs, developing digital and web outputs, using archives and photography and leaflet design. 33 phase 2 support needs were identified/met.
Collaborator Contribution Sturmer Local History Group carried out the local historical research needed to create a four-mile long heritage trail detailing the Sturmer village history and natural history through the use of interpretation boards along the disused railway line, as well as a downloadable printed leaflet to accompany walkers. The project involved meshing new enhanced methods and approaches around videography, archival material and heritage data bases, with an important emphasis in school involvement and primary education outputs.
Impact - Sturmer Village Heritage Trail (leaflet). - Sturmer History on Twitter https://twitter.com/Sturmer_History - Sturmer History on Historypin http://www.historypin.com/channels/view/43243/#!photos/list/
Start Year 2012
 
Description Suffolk Horse Society: 'Working Horses, Working Lives: sharing our stories of the Suffolk Punch'. 
Organisation Suffolk Horse Society
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution In 2012 CCH helped the Suffolk Horse Society develop their successful AOS bid and in 2013 provided additional support for the delivery phase of the project in all aspects of project management, PR, developing a full range of resources, using archives, filming and oral history, printed information dissemination and reporting to HLF. 41 phase 2 support needs were identified/met.
Collaborator Contribution The Suffolk Horse Society project recorded memories of working the land with heavy horses from those whose lives before the Second World War revolved around the Suffolk Punch, an urgent priority as many of the participants are now very old. The project aimed to inform, entertain and educate people about the importance of the relationship between man and horse in many contexts: peace and wartime, work and recreation, countryside and town, folklore, cures and magic. The results have been disseminated via the website and public meetings.
Impact The results have created a new archive and have been disseminated via the website and public meetings. The project's final celebratory event took place at Suffolk Food Hall, Ipswich.
Start Year 2012
 
Description Tilty Archaeology & Local History Group: 'Tilty and the Second World War'. 
Organisation Tilty Archaeology & Local History Group
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution After hearing their AOS bid was successful, Tilty AHLG approached CCH in November 2012 asking for support from CCH for the delivery phase of their project in respect of legal matters, procurement and standards, developing web resources and exhibitions and archiving their results. 8 phase 2 support activities were identified/met.
Collaborator Contribution Tilty Archaeology & Local History Group members worked to commemorate the wartime experiences of the rural Essex hamlet of Tilty by recording and sharing the many and diverse memories, artefacts and documents provided by its residents, including re-enacting an early wartime Christmas broadcast made from Tilty in 1940.
Impact An archive of recorded memories and a filmed performance. - Tilty and the Second World War http://www.tiltyhistoryprojects.co.uk/all-our-stories - Tilty Archaeology & Local History Group on Historypin http://www.historypin.com/channels/view/51463/#!photos/list/
Start Year 2013
 
Description Toft Historical Society: 'The early history of Toft'. 
Organisation Toft Historical Society
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution In 2012 CCH helped Toft HS develop their successful AOS bid and in 2013 provided additional support for the delivery phase of the project in most aspects of project management, using archives, filming and additional help with supervision of archaeological excavations. 18 phase 2 additional support needs were identified/met.
Collaborator Contribution Toft Historical Society involved local residents in the excavation of 16 test pits in a community endeavour to reconstruct the village's past development and provide residents with tangible evidence for its earlier existence. This shows a settlement to have been present in the Roman period, possibly continuing into the Anglo-Saxon period, with a riverside village clearly attested in the high medieval, which was depopulated in the later medieval period when settlement shifted north.
Impact A film and an exhibition disseminated of the results, which also formed the subject of a written technical report.
Start Year 2012
 
Description West Norfolk & King's Lynn Archaeological Society 'Gaywood Valley Archaeological and Historical Project'. 
Organisation West Norfolk & King's Lynn Archaeological Society
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution In 2012 CCH helped the society develop their successful AOS bid and in 2013 provided additional support from CCH for the delivery phase of the project in most aspects of project management, volunteer support and working with special needs, developing a wide range of resources, filming, oral history and additional help with supervision of archaeological excavations. 29 phase 2 support needs were identified/met.
Collaborator Contribution West Norfolk & King's Lynn Archaeological Society involved large numbers of local residents in field-walking and test pit excavations in six different communities around the wash near King's Lynn, including one pit in Grimston which produced many hundreds of sherds of the locally produced Grimston ware and is clearly near a production site for this pottery which was exported as far as Norway in the medieval period.
Impact The activities were blogged and filmed and the results will be written up in a technical report. - Gaywood Valley Project http://gaywood.greyhawk.org.uk/main.php - WN&KLS on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/West-Norfolk-Kings-Lynn-Archaeological-Society/443611592394583?fref=ts - WN&KLS on Historypin http://www.historypin.com/channels/view/51731/#!photos/list/
Start Year 2012
 
Description West Wickham District Local History Group: 'West Wickham Big Village Dig'. 
Organisation West Wickham District Local History Group
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution In 2012 CCH helped West Wickham District LHG develop their successful AOS bid and in 2013 provided additional support for the delivery phase of the project in most aspects of project management, in developing digital resources and additional help with supervision of archaeological excavations. 6 phase 2 support needs were identified/met.
Collaborator Contribution West Wickham District Local History Group involved scores of local residents in excavating 19 archaeological test pits to discover when and where settlement in the medieval period was focussed in the parish of West Wickham, Cambridgeshire. Small amounts of late Anglo-Saxon material hint at its pre-Conquest origins, and the volume of medieval pottery suggests the settlement remained limited in extent until the early modern period.
Impact The activities were blogged and filmed and a written technical report prepared.
Start Year 2012
 
Description Wormingford Community Education Centre: 'Wormingford Landmarks' 
Organisation Wormingford Community Education Centre
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution In 2012 CCH helped Wormingford CEC develop their successful AOS bid and in 2013 provided requested additional support for the delivery phase of the project in aspects of project management, PR and working with the public, developing digital and web resources and displays, photography and filming and planning and running celebration events. 20 phase 2 support needs were identified/met.
Collaborator Contribution Wormingford Community Education Centre involved dozens of young people in exploring a prehistoric site discovered through aerial photography near the village of Wormingford in Essex through field-walking, experimental archaeology and sound-scaping.
Impact A film was made of the activities and a written technical report produced. - Wormingford Community Education Centre. 2013. Wormingford Landmarks Project Report. WCEC, Wormingford. - Wormingford Landmarks http://wormingfordcec.org.uk/landmarks.html - Wormingford CEC on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/user/wormingfordcec - Wormingford Landmarks on Historypin http://www.historypin.com/channels/view/52726/#!photos/list/
Start Year 2012
 
Description CCH Archaeological Excavation Methods Training Day (27th April 2013) 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact A training day intended to teach participants about aspects of archaeological excavation in order to allow participants to plan and take part in their own excavation projects under professional supervision as part of their HLF-funded community heritage projects. Presentations reviewed the principles and methods of excavation and stimluated discussion and questions. Discussion afterwards showed this had developed understanding of the sensitive nature of archaeological excavation and the importance of always proceeding with care, keeping detailed records and writing up the results afterwards, and had built confidence and enthusiasm amongst participants for their prospective excavations.

After the training day, more than 10 community groups undertook archaeological excavation as oart of their HLF projects, involving hundreds of people. The excavations developed a wide range of new skills and instilled a strong sense of community spirit amongst participants. New knowledge and understanding was derived in a range of areas, inlcuding the nature of high status rural residences and the pattern of settlement development. The latter was derived from test pit excavations carried out in several eastern English communities including Toft, West Wickham, Shillington, Foxearth, Meldreth, Wimpole and six along the Gaywood valley. Each project has generated a written technical report s, which will be submitted to local archives (including HERs), form the basis of papers in local journal and summaries published in Medieval Settlement Research, the journal of MSRG, the scholarly research group for medieval settlement studies. In addition, the results will feed into ongoing research into the development of settlement, landscape and demography in southern England.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2013
 
Description CCH Final Open Day (Exhibition) 23rd Nov 2013 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Exhibitions of the results of most of the 28 community heritage projects supported by CCH in 2012-13 enabled achievemens to be recognised and shared between different groups. Presentation by PI and HLF representative informed participants about possibilities for obtaining funding for future projects.

Viewing exhibitions sparked questions and discussion and stimulated ideas for future projects in many attendees. After the presentations, amny attendees asked HLF representative about next moves in applying for further funding to run new projects in the future.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2013
 
Description CCH Historical Archives Training Day (13th Feb 2013) 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact A training day intended to teach participants about aspects of using local historical archives in order to allow participants to conduct their own local history projects. Presentations reviewed the range of resources available for the medieval and early modern periods and stimluated discussion and questions. A practical session involving delegates using original records provided them with hands-on experience of reading, transcribing and interpreting data from a selection of sources. Discussion afterwards showed this had developed skills in reading early manuscripts, made delegates more aware of the complexities of the process and built confidence for the future.

95% of attendees rated the day as very helpful (the top rating possible) and all felt more, or much more, confident about pursuing this activity in the future. After the training day, more than 15 community groups involved their members in activities involving local historical research as part of their HLF-funded community heritage projects, creating archives and edited resources which will be of value to future researchers into local communities and histories of place. Some groups created heritage centres or trails intended to draw others into finding out about or participating in community heritage, and a compulsory requirement by HLF that community groups should disseminate their results via digital outputs as well as community events ensured the outcomes were widely disseminated and much appreciated in the short term, and will remain accessible in the longer term. Others created resources for schools which will support curriculum learning in the future.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2013
 
Description CCH Introduction to Fieldwalking Day (9th March 2013) 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Participants learned about fieldwalking techniques and made new discoveries about their community. Activity generated much discussion and many questions.

- Ashwell Archaeology on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ashwell-Archaeology/220513771338285?fref=ts
- Ashwell Archaeology on Historypin http://www.historypin.com/channels/view/52340/#!photos/list/
- Fieldwalk November 2013 YouTube video http://youtube/g6pmCL2JQYU

CCH worked with Ashwell Museum's 'Ashwell Archaeology' project to enable c.200 members of the local village community to carry out archaeological field-walking around the village of Ashwell and enhance their own and others' knowledge and understanding of the historic development of the parish.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2012,2013,2014
URL http://www.ashwellmuseum.org.uk/
 
Description CCH Oral History Training Day (13th Jan 2013) 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact A training day intended to teach participants about a range of practical, technical and ethical aspects of recording oral histories in order to allow participants to conduct their own oral history recording projects. Presentations reviewed planning intervies and developing lines of questioning, use of equipment and the legal and ethical aspects of soliciting and recording peoples' memories stimluated discussion and questions. A practical session involving delegates interviewing each other provided them with hands-on experience of the process. Discussion afterwards showed this had raised delegates awareness of many nuances in the process and built confidence for the future.

92% of attendees rated the day as very helpful (the top rating possible) and all felt more, or much more, confident about pursuing this activity in the future.After the day, more than a dozen community projects went on to collect memories and oral histories which have been recorded, transcribed and archived. Many of these were provided by older community members recalling experiences and lifestyles which are in now in decline or in many cases no longer experienced at all. Projects including some very hard-to-reach groups such as travellers, as well as others traditionally secretive about their specialist 'guild knowledge' such as horsemen. These recordings and films will be an invaluable resource for future researchers interested in society, community, technology and change.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2013
 
Description CCH Training Day Archaeological Test Pit Excavation (11th May 2013) 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact 100% (!) of attendees rated the day as very helpful (the top rating possible) and all felt more, or much more, confident about pursuing this activity in the future. After the training day, seven projects included test pit excavation as part oftheir HLF-funded project, each generating a written technical report with maps showing the distribution of material of different dates, which will be submitted to local archives (including HERs), form the basis of papers in local journal and summaries published in Medieval Settlement Research, the journal of MSRG, the scholarly research group for medieval settlement studies. In addition, the results will feed into ongoing research into the development of settlement, landscape and demography in southern England.

All participants asked lots of questions during the day, and reported increased confidence in their proposed excavations.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2013
 
Description CCH Training Day on Archiving and Report Writing for Heritage Research Projects (12th Oct 2013) 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact The training day was intended to support community project coordinators in ensuring the results of their projects were written up and archived appropriately. The day included sessions reviewing aims, approaches and best practice in preparing and writing up the results of heritage-related research for archiving and for publication and a final plenary session disucssing various ways to present and disseminate the results of research projects to differneet audiences.

88% of participants reported in written feedback that they found the day useful or very useful. All groups discussed their ideas with other community group members. All community groups submitted archives or written outputs which fulfilled the requiremetn of their grants.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2013
 
Description Connected Communities Showcase 12th March 2013 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? Yes
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact The activity showcased the aims, outcomes and impacts of the Cambridge Community Heritage projects (then on-going) and provided opportunities for networking and discussions about future research directions, knowledge exchange and potential collaborations.

Large numbers of visitors including members of other Connected Communities HEI teams and representatives of other organisations inlcuding government and national heritage organisations were informed abot teh scope of the project and gained new awareness of the level of public enthusiasm for getting involved in community heritage projects.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2013