A NEWLY formed archaeological society of amateurs and professionals are planning excavations and digs around Teignbridge.

The Teignbridge Archaeology Society are a newly formed group of local people who share an interest in archaeology and history. Their events will include talks and lectures, practical workshops and excavations when possible.

Founder and Chairman Gary Andrew realised that there were lots of similar societies but few that focused on practical excavations.

‘Our society will be more of a practical archaeology society,” said Jowan Albon, Secretary, “a lot of archaeology and history societies do a lot of walks, talks and site visits. We want to be a bit more practical to give people skills and the opportunity to do archaeology hands-on, especially for young people who want to study it at university or want to do commercial archaeology.”

Jowan Albon has worked as a commercial archaeologist and Gary, the chair, is currently freelance and working for an archaeology company in Exeter. The group is a mix of people with experience and those with an interest and want to learn more.

They are looking to partner with universities or other organisations, conduct excavations and write their own reports.

They also have plans for experimental archaeology – a practice that involves replicating or approximating the practices of ancient cultures by performing various tasks as they would have in the past. Jowan said: “This can include making weapons, everyday objects, weaving, building, and cooking.”

The committee also hope to host classes on the archaeological use of metal detectors, as well as how to get permissions and record findings accurately.

The society is looking forward to organising its first dig and is currently completing the final touches of its administration. In the meantime, members are getting to know each other in the group by sharing their passion, experience, and some interesting finds. The group can be found on Facebook.