THE ATHELSTAN 1100 BIG DIG PROJECT AWARDED A GRANT FROM THE NATIONAL LOTTERY HERITAGE FUND

Volunteers behind the Athelstan 1100 Big Dig project in Malmesbury are celebrating after receiving a grant of £14,540 for this unique community heritage project taking place in July.

The grant has been awarded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund which was made possible by National Lottery players.  It will be used to fund the excavation of test pits in and around the town on Saturday and Sunday July 6 and 7.

Volunteers and the Malmesbury Town Team will work alongside experts to hopefully uncover evidence of the Anglo Saxons living in the area, as well as reveal other fascinating parts of the town’s history. The Athelstan 1100 Big Dig is part of a wider programme of events to mark 1100 years since Athelstan became the First King of England. Athelstan had a close relationship with Malmesbury and chose to be buried in the Abbey – although the exact location of his burial remains a mystery.

The Athelstan 1100 Big Dig has a strong community focus and will enable people of all ages, including local primary and secondary students to learn about being archaeologists and taking part in real excavations.  Members of the Athelstan 1100 organising team will also be working alongside Cotswold Archaeology to train budding archaeologists as well as to plan and organise the project.

Volunteers from the community will have an opportunity to be involved in the excavation and the recording and cleaning of finds.  The weekend Big Dig Trail will enable visitors and people from the wider community to see what is going on and learn more about how archaeology works.  All the finds will be on view after the day’s excavations and a report will be produced to explain what was found to all. 

Many Malmesbury organisations are working together to bring the Athelstan 1100 project to life across the summer. This includes Malmesbury Town Team, Malmesbury Town Council, Athelstan Museum and more than 70 other organisations and businesses who are giving time, practical support and resources to help celebrate the Anglo-Saxon heritage of the town and this important national anniversary.

King Athelstan ascended to the throne in 924 and 100 years ago in 1924 the whole of Malmesbury came out to celebrate King Athelstan’s 1000th anniversary. The community is doing the same in 2024. 

Cllr Campbell Ritchie heads up the team organising the Athelstan 1100 project and also the Big Athelstan Dig.

“We are delighted to be able to offer so many events for the local, and wider Wiltshire community to enjoy across the summer of 2024. We are very excited about the Big Dig which is a huge opportunity for us to really try to understand an important part of town’s history.

“Through learning the skills of archaeology and this hands on approach to heritage the hope is to get people of all ages engaged with town and to be able to understand the Anglo Saxon influence in the town’s development,” Cllr Ritchie said.

“We are thrilled to have received this support thanks to National Lottery players and are confident the project will engage local people and will help raise the profile of Malmesbury to a much wider audience.” Cllr Ritchie added.

*Picture shows CLLR CAMPBELL RITCHIE. 

To find out more about the Athelstan 1100 Big Dig and the other events taking place to celebrate Athelstan 1100 visit https://www.athelstan1100.co.uk

About The National Lottery Heritage Fund
As the largest dedicated funder of the UK’s heritage, The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future as set out in our strategic plan, Heritage 2033.

Over the next ten years, the Heritage Fund aims to invest £3.6billion raised for good causes by National Lottery players to bring about benefits for people, places and the natural environment.

The Heritage Fund helps protect, transform and share the things from the past that people care about, from popular museums and historic places, our natural environment and fragile species, to the languages and cultural traditions that celebrate who we are.

The Heritage Fund is passionate about heritage and committed to driving innovation and collaboration to make a positive difference to people’s lives today, while leaving a lasting legacy for future generations to enjoy.

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