ARCHAEOLOGY enthusiasts will begin a new summer season of digging this weekend as part of the Swaledale Big Dig project.

The Heritage Lottery Fund scheme is organised by the Swaledale and Arkengarthdale Archaeology Group (SWAAG) and supported by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority.

The focus for this first of three weekend sessions during the summer season will be on sites in and around the village of Reeth. Further sessions in June and July will concentrate on the neighbouring villages of Fremington and Grinton.

Alan Mills, spokesman for SWAAG, said: “This is our second year of a two-year project.

"We dig one-meter-square test pits in as many different places as we are permitted by the land owners, whether it’s in private gardens or public spaces, and then we piece together the evidence from each pit to form a joined-up picture of what’s been going on over past centuries.

“It’s a proven way of efficiently discovering what has happened over a broad area without having to dig up the whole village.

"We have already dug 31 test pits in and around Reeth, and produced nearly 2,000 pieces of dating evidence, mostly in the form of pottery fragments but also glass, nails and even a medieval metal lock.

"Among various conclusions, the project has provided compelling evidence that one of the most prosperous early periods of the village history was from the late 1100s, during the reigns of the first Plantagenet kings.”

This weekend six digs are planned over the two days, including one on Reeth Green.

The organiser’s tent will be on the green to act as a focal point so that anyone interested in helping, or who wants to find out more about the project, can easily get in touch while the work is in progress.

Several locations for test pits are already lined up for the weekend digs in Fremington and Grinton but the organisers are still keen to hear from anyone else who would like to offer a patch of ground to be explored in any of the three villages.

To offer a potential dig site or to volunteer to help with any task such as digging, sieving, recording or washing finds, contact Alan or Judith Mills at alan@swaag.org or ring 01748-884938.

Further information is at www.swaag.org.