The Staffordshire Gold Hoard 2011

The UK's largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon treasure was discovered by a local metal detectorist buried in a Staffordshire field in the Autumn of 2009. The 1,500 gold and silver items have become a source of intense interest both locally, nationally and internationally, with a well publicised funding appeal successfully raising over 3million pounds to ensure that the hoard was held for the nation and to facilitate restoration. Scientific quotes such as 'this is going to alter our perceptions of Anglo-Saxon England in the seventh and eight centuries as radically, if not more so, as the 1939 Sutton Hoo discoveries did', and 'the metalwork equivalent of finding a new Lindisfarne Gospel or Book of Kells', Prof. Leslie Webster, UCL reinforce the importance of the hoard.Local and national temporary exhibit displays were overwhelmed with public viewing demand in 2009-10, with over 40,000 and 25,000 people viewing items at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery and the Potteries Museum in Stoke-on-Trent respectively over a few weeks. Subsequent public outreach events at the Potteries Museum have proved very popular, with the public eager to not only see the exhibits, but also to find out how the hoard came to be found, why it was buried and where the items may have been made or been transported from.This proposal aims to tap into this public interest by holding a dedicated 'Staffordshire Hoard - 2011' public activity day at the Potteries Museum, in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire. Whilst the hoard will be the central focus, there will be a range of displays and interactive activities, both outdoor hands-on activities and within the museum itself. Activities will include an outdoor 'mock up' of the find itself, with hands-on demonstrations of the geophysical detection equipment that were and could be utilised to find buried material and archaeologists will show how to recover buried items. Inside the museum there will be a range of analytical and imaging demonstrations so that the public can find out what the items are made of, where they have come from in the world (the garnet crystals for example are from SE Asia) and the present theories about why the hoard was left.In order for the public to be aware of the turbulent times in which the Hoard was deposited, a drama performance which will be used, the performance prepared and delivered by the drama club of a local Stoke-on-Trent High School, with the professional support from a Drama Company, in the Potteries Museum theatre (Stoke-on-Trent). Finally Dr Kevin Leahy, the current expert who is from the National Portable Antiquities Scheme, will give a series of public talks. We are aiming to deliver this during the National Science and Engineering Week (11th - 20th of March 2011).This project will aim to actively engage the public in using science to investigate the Staffordshire Hoard and demonstrate that science is exciting and relevant to individuals and to society. This will be an interactive science day where the public will be involved and will be able to express themselves, to discuss science at work with practitioners and professionals from academia, to learn more about modern research and to have fun; ultimately it is hoped that it will inspire young people to want to become scientists.

This project will reach its audience and have a considerable impact not only on those who attend but also throughout the community via the media. The activity will be delivered during the National Science and Engineering Week, when the public's attention nationwide is drawn to science. We envisage over 1,500 school pupils, their teachers and parents to attend as well as 3,000 members of the general public (numbers based on the 2009 pilot study participants). Furthermore, the unprecedented interest with the Staffordshire Gold Hoard is proving particularly powerful in attracting public interest and leaving long lasting impressions. By using this archaeological discovery and combined with science investigations, we will certainly capture the attention of the audience. To further enhance the public involvement, we will engage our audience directly: the activities will take place at the Potteries Museum which is a focal point for the local community and where a temporary display of the Hoard was shown in March 2010. The project will be publicised using the expertise of the Marketing Department at the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery and Keele University's public relations office. The Potteries Museum will also create and maintain a dedicated project website. The PI will also create a Facebook members group and have a Twitter live feed to encourage the general public to engage with the project. The PI will learn from Dr Ian Stimpson, his colleague at Keele University who was the 'geology twitter blogger of the year' in 2009. High profile project publicising routes include the Royal Society (NC has contacts with the Science in Society Officer, Chloe Sheppard), the Royal Society of Chemistry, the British Academy (the organiser of the National Science and Engineering Week), New Scientist (JP has contacts with a reporter, Shanta Barley), the BBC (JP contacts with David Grundy, the regional science correspondent), and the UK broadsheets (JP has contacts with the Sunday Times, Roger Dobson, and the Daly Telegraph, Gary Cleland). NC has contacts with GSB prospection (John Gater), a member of 'The Time Team' and who will be contacted to see whether we can obtain a 'celebrity draw' to view the archaeology and geophysics aspects of the project. Collaborators will also liaise to see if the project can be enhanced by other media-prominent participants. Local project publicity will include the local media - Stoke-on-Trent local paper, The Daily Sentinel (Louise Psyllides), and BBC Radio Stoke (Allan Cook). From the evaluation of our previous events, BBC Radio Stoke and The Daily Sentinel have been particularly effective in promoting public science activities. The Sentinel have a robust website which we will be able to look into and from. In addition, we will send information packs to over 100 schools in the area, through the communication network KeeleLink.This proposal will have a significant impact on both the local population of Stoke-on-Trent and wider region who come to visit the event. Attendees should gain a wider understanding of the Staffordshire Hoard and of the scientific advances that have allowed revision of existing thinking of the Anglo-Saxon period. The Potteries Museum visitor number increase for the temporary Hoard exhibits was unprecedented, with 500% higher visitor numbers than during other comparable events. The proposed collaborative partnership will facilitate the grant participants with new skills and knowledge about such activities and allow them to more easily continue to provide such public engagement events in the future. Project members will also gain skills in public engagement, project planning, organisation and logistical issues that will be crucial for both similar future events and for other activities further in their careers. The specialised Royal Society training will also be invaluable to the participants for this and future events.