By Barrie Lockwood
My name’s Barrie, and I volunteer every week in the warehouse at York Archaeology in Nottingham (known to some as Trent and Peak). I work with a great group of volunteers on all sorts of tasks—washing finds, sorting and databasing, cataloguing, and helping on training and community digs. On digs, I often act as an “Explainer.” That means chatting with visitors about what’s happening and what we’ve found. With children, I usually start by saying we’re not looking for dinosaurs or treasure!
I’ve been volunteering for about eight years. It all started after I joined a community dig on a local Roman site. I’d always been interested in archaeology, and after that experience, I wanted to get more involved—and give something back.
The best parts of volunteering? The people. I’ve met brilliant staff and volunteers, many of whom have become good friends. I’ve also enjoyed the variety. Over the years, I’ve had the chance to try new things and keep learning.
There’s always someone nearby who’s happy to explain what you’re looking at—why a sherd of pottery looks the way it does, when it was made, or what left marks on a bone from a burial. These are things I’d never have known otherwise.
Volunteering in Nottingham has also led to other community archaeology projects. I’ve helped run activities and digs for young people through a group called Derbyshire Scout Archaeology. It’s all about getting the next generation interested.
If you’ve ever watched archaeology on TV and thought, “I’d like to try that,” or “Could I do that as a career?”—give volunteering a go. Try a few months with a group like York Archaeology. You’ll get hooked, and you’ll get so much out of it.
