This Heritage Lottery Fund scheme was set up by the Navenby Archaeology Group (NAG); a group with a passion and interest in their local heritage, and in particular in the amazingly well-preserved Roman town adjacent to the existing settlement. We provided professional guidance through the site setup and during both excavation and post-excavation. The project involved 160 volunteers ranging in age from 8–80 years old. During the excavations there were 400 visitors to the site.

The excavation revealed a complex sequence of Roman remains, including five buildings which fronted onto Ermine Street and dated from the 3rd to the early 5th century. The function of the buildings most likely changed through this period but seems likely to have included both domestic and commercial use, one probably functioning as a tavern.

A huge quantity of finds were recovered, including a very large and significant pottery assemblage, bone, glass, coins and metalwork.

The project was open to all members of the community and volunteers were involved in all aspects of the excavation, recording, survey and finds processing. We arranged visits from pottery and bone specialists and regular tours were given for local primary schools (as shown on the cover of this submission), ensuring wider community involvement. Pupils were encouraged to handle the artefacts and offer their own interpretations. We also gave evening talks on the site to NAG and to other local interest groups.

As well as producing a professional, grey literature report we produced an illustrated, full colour, non-specialist publication which enabled the group members to have a permanent record of their works and to make the results accessible to as large an audience as possible.

As a result of the project, NAG’s membership boomed and at least two volunteers have gone on to apply for higher education courses in archaeology. Those involved learned new skills and reported that they felt more engaged with their past and had a better understanding of archaeology.