Historic Ridgeway Project secures £129,100 project extension

The funding from the Regional Capacity Building Grant Programme will support the project’s dedicated team, including the Project Manager and Volunteer Co-ordinator, and enable continued conservation work, volunteer engagement and practical heritage management along the Ridgeway National Trail.

Otis Gilbert, Heritage at Risk Project Officer, said: “We are delighted to be able to offer this grant to continue the vital work on the nationally significant archaeology around the Ridgeway National Trail. It is an important way of working with local people, DEFRA and local authorities to support better management of the historic and natural environment in England’s most special places. The project will provide new opportunities for people to get involved in caring for archaeology near them.”

The extension will broaden the project’s reach beyond the central 30-mile section of the 87-mile Ridgeway National Trail, taking activity as far as Whiteleaf Hill in Buckinghamshire.

Dan Bashford, Project Manager, said: “Every section of the Ridgeway National Trail has its own archaeological story to tell. Extending the project into Buckinghamshire will help us identify and record vulnerable heritage sites, improve our understanding of how people have used this landscape over thousands of years and put practical conservation measures in place to protect them for the future.”

The expanded project will also support a range of public engagement activities around sites such as Grim’s Ditch, creating new opportunities for education, interpretation and volunteering, while helping people connect with the archaeology and history of the Ridgeway landscape.