First of all the committee would like to apologise to everyone for the delay in announcing the dates for the 2023 season, and our courses and prices. They are all now up on the website and bookings can now be taken for the summer season.
Price Rises
There has been an awful lot of changes in the world over the last few years, with Covid, the war in Ukraine and the resulting steep increases in fuel and food. This has had a huge impact on the world’s economics, but it’s also making a big difference to everyday life which we are all experiencing. Obviously SHARP is no different and rising costs last year (beyond what we expected), and fewer people booking possibly due to the uncertainty after Covid, has meant that after the season we needed to have a really good look at our finances. We do not want the high standards that we set ourselves to be lowered and have been investigating a few options. A big problem we are having is trying to second guess the economic markets, especially so far ahead.
We have not raised our prices for many years now, but it is now regrettably time for us to do so. We have tried to be fair and have re-addressed the difference in cost between volunteers and the courses. One positive note is that the committee has agreed that the price next season onwards will include all on-site entertainment and free mobile phone charging in the visitor centre also known to many last year as ‘Big Tezza’s Hut’.
We know and understand that any price rises are a worry, and especially when home budgets are already stretched, and we really wish price increases were not necessary. We will obviously still be offering our John Hensby Bursary for those that would like to attend but can’t necessarily afford to do so. In addition, we are applying for further funding, which we hope can help us keep costs down in future years, but more importantly in the short term will allow us to offer more subsidised or free places (so keep your eyes peeled for more news about that).
Call for Committee Members
Here at SHARP we are always keen to encourage our volunteers who have a passion for archaeology, as well as other skills to share, to get more involved. The SHARP committee is interested in recruiting a few more members. We meet regularly (roughly once every 1-2 months) via zoom, except during the season when we can hold on-site meetings. There are lots of different roles on the committee that need to be filled, from welfare, social media, publicity to post-ex etc, and there may well be roles we have not even considered yet. If you have a few hours to spare, lots of enthusiasm for SHARP, and are interested in joining us please email bookings@sharp.org.uk and include a sentence or two to say why you want to help us and/or what type of roles you might be able to help with.
In addition to committee there may be other roles that SHARP needs help with, so if you are interested in helping us out but not sure about joining our committee, feel free to get in touch so that we can discuss options. Plus if any university students, or anyone with a project in mind, wishes to use our archived materials for dissertations or study, please feel free to contact us about any areas of interest you may have. We will do our best to assist you.
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