Volunteering at SHARP
We welcome all volunteers regardless of background and often no previous experience of archaeology is necessary, as onsite training courses are run every week during the excavation season, as well as a wide array of other specialised training courses.
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Our ongoing excavation focus is on a complex of Anglo-Saxon malting houses, located to the east of the previously excavated settlement, within Chalkpit field. Our research on this particular site has been ongoing since 2013 and is now beginning to produce a remarkable insight into how these rare features within the Anglo-Saxon period would have functioned.
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In addition to our main excavation, we also undertake some smaller evaluation excavations each season. You can read more about our ongoing excavations on our blog.
There are several ways in which you can participate in one of Britain’s leading archaeological research and training excavations.
Basic Excavation and Recording Techniques Course
SHARP was established as a research and teaching excavation, and as such we ensure that even those with no prior knowledge can gain access to archaeology. We therefore offer a one-week Basic Excavation & Recording Techniques (BERT) that teaches you all the skills required to work with us, including the theory of archaeology, excavation skills with a variety of tools, surveying, drawing, photography, context sheets, and other processes such as finds cleaning, recording and environmental science.​
If you have no previous experience then it is a requirement to enrol on and complete the BERT course, after which you are welcome to attend future weeks as an excavation volunteer for the cost of facilities only.​
For more information on this course, and to book, visit our BERT course page.
Excavation Volunteer
We welcome excavation volunteers with at least three weeks' excavation experience, or who have previously attended our one-week Basic Excavation & Recording Techniques (BERT) course at SHARP, or equivalent course elsewhere.
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We prefer volunteers who have the full skill set that field school courses provide, as volunteers are asked to follow through on any features excavated to record them. There are team members that will assist people who may be a ‘little rusty’, or who maybe have done things in theory but haven’t yet had much practice. Where possible we try to tailor the work to people’s interest. If you have no previous experience then it is a requirement to enrol on and complete the BERT course, after which you are welcome to stay on as an excavation volunteer for the cost of facilities only.
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You can book as an excavation volunteer here.
Non-Excavation Volunteer
We appreciate that there are many people who would love to join us but cannot or do not wish to dig. There are many non-excavation activities on site to get involved in, including cleaning and sorting finds, environmental processing, and post-excavation work.
NB: please check before applying, as some of these activities are dependent on the research taking place at the time. Contact us at bookings@sharp.org.uk to discuss the possibilities.
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You can book as a non-excavation volunteer here (select your excavation preference when booking).
Dig for a Day Course
Each year we offer a number of archaeology taster days in the form of our Dig for a Day course. These can be tailored to the individuals attending but will include time excavating on a real archaeological site with members of the SHARP team. Lunch and all the tools you will need are provided. Other dig for the day visitors have also taken part in environmental science, finds cleaning, and also recording techniques, so the day can be tailored to those attending.
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For more information on this course, available dates, and to book, visit our Dig for a Day course page.
Human Remains Volunteer
Work with the Human Remains (HR) Team and other HR volunteers onsite at Sedgeford. This opportunity is open to those who have previously completed a Human Remains course with SHARP (either an onsite or off-site course), or equivalent course elsewhere.
Examples of work that may take place:
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Recording of disarticulated human bone.
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Data checking of articulated skeleton recording.
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Dental and pathology data entry from skeletal records.
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Investigation of groups of burials with respect to intercutting and disarticulated bone.
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Scanning and cataloguing of photographs from the 1996 – 2007 excavations, donated by volunteers who took part in the excavations.
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Photography of skeletal remains for monograph publication and development of an online HR course.
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If you have no previous HR experience, it is a requirement to enrol on SHARP’s Human Remains course before coming to SHARP as a HR volunteer. You can find information on SHARP's HR course here.
Other Courses
In addition to excavation opportunities, we run a number of training courses on a variety of subjects. Some are full, week-long courses providing in-depth practical training, and others are shorter, more topic-specific day courses. The courses we offer can vary from year to year, as we are dependent on which course providers from our team are available each season. In the past we have offered courses in landscape archaeology, non-invasive archaeology, standing building remains, introduction to human skeletal remains, environmental sciences, archaeometallurgy, and experimental archaeology. There have also been a wide range of day courses over the years on a variety of subjects from archiving, photogrammetry, Anglo-Saxon food, Anglo-Saxon Sedgeford, and metalworking.
Please see our Season Bookings page for details on course dates, availability for this season, and how to book.​​
Facilities and Weekly Charges
Volunteer Rate - £180 per week (or £160 if booked before April 1st on our early bird discount
The rate for volunteering at SHARP, whether this is excavation, post-excavation, or human remains volunteering, is deliberately kept as low as possible to make it affordable. This price includes a full 6 days (Sunday to Friday) of activity with lunch and use of site facilities. It also includes the Tuesday evening lecture admission – all for £180 (or £160 if booked before April 1st on our early bird discount).
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Prices for our week and day courses will vary and can be found on our individual course pages.
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To keep costs for volunteers down even further we have on-site catering, for a charge of just £50 for the week (Sunday to Friday). This includes a two course evening meal (with meat and veg option) and breakfast.
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Onsite Meals (breakfast, lunch, & dinner) and Evening Entertainment - £50 per week
Our catering team provide food for people with a variety of allergies, including dairy, gluten, Liliaceae and Umbelliferae allergies to name just a few. The option to book meals with SHARP is available to everyone, including those staying off-site who may want to join us for meals (cheaper than many options locally) and our evening entertainment. Everyone is welcome to join us for the welcome meal on arrival Saturday at c. 7pm although pre-booking is required.
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Onsite Camping Pitch and use of All Facilities - £50 per week
We offer facilities for camping on site for a weekly charge of £50 (Saturday PM to Saturday AM). The facilities are fairly basic but we have both shower and toilet blocks on site and charging points for mobile phones. Each volunteer is provided with a pitch for a tent and we even have a small number of tents available to rent for those travelling long distance by public transport and may not want to bring their own. Please contact bookings@sharp.org.uk for more information as pre-booking these is required.
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If you have previous experience and can’t manage a full week do get in touch with us as we can often work out a day or part-week rate, particularly for those staying off-site.
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SHARP offers financial support for excavation and our courses through the John Hensby Bursary. For more information, please visit The John Hensby Fund.
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Please note that the volunteer only rate includes lunch onsite, drinks, and admission to our Tuesday night lecture (if you wish to attend), but does not include accommodation or breakfast/evening meals. If you wish to camp onsite during your stay, and/or eat breakfast and dinner onsite, please select these options when making your booking.​​​​
More Information
You can find out more information on what to expect at SHARP on the following pages.
With each booking confirmation you should have been sent an information sheet or sheets related to your booking. Information about specific activities and courses can also be downloaded from the relevant bookings page, but below are the sheets related to staying onsite or off-site.
Your Week at SHARP
Onsite Camping Information
Travel Information
Alternative Accomodation