Offa’s Dyke YAC and Offa’s Dyke Outreach planning more in the field

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The OffasDykeYAC leaders and Outreach officer attended this great webinar by @CBA_YAC (thank you folks) so we have the chance to plan a visit to a church or two and record some gravestones – with the permission of the parish – for our archaeological records.
Some of the families have been in the area for hundreds of years …maybe yours has?

Why not ask your older family members what they know of their family in the area or where they come from? Have they any pictures of older relatives, or letters between them? What did they do for work?
What happened to them through the world wars? Did they stay and work the land or sign up or were they “conscientious objectors”? (People that did not fight on religious or moral grounds – they did not want to kill anyone),

Graveyards contain so much information …not only the inscriptions but the style of the gravestone (could they afford a fancy one or just a stone), perhaps a family plot (people of older generations buried in the same place)?

Event ideas for Micro.CoSMMs

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Hi folks. 
Thanks for volunteering as coordinators!

Below are some ideas of what we thought groups might organise/arrange – please do get back to us with other ideas (e.g. post comments). 

CategoryIdeaDescriptionEquipmentRisks
EventLocal Offa-ings"Offa-ing ideas" An event where local schools, clubs, groups, etc. are invited along to see the designs with cakes, coffees/teas (and perhaps judge them?) and the Micro-CoSMM scrapbook (or online blog from the web site from the things you have sent us)
Raffle, cakes, refreshments, projector, organised walk, playing our Podcasts, etc.		Venue, permission, funding, etc.None
EventCrafty Offa-ingsArrange an arts and crafts day that is Offa's/Wat's dyke related.
Initially at the Offa's Dyke Centre (later at other locations on along the dyke), the event could last no more than 6 hours (10am-4pm) and have a small art exhibition of photographs, painting, sculptures, etc. with "guess the location" raffle and refreshments with cakes based on the dyke(s), Saxons, dyke creation, etc.
Prizes to the best 3 public artworks or cakes and the nearest correct answer for the location of the artwork.		Coffee/tea-making facilities, plates and cutlery, table wear, facilities for displaying the artwork (telly for multimedia displays if necessary).Generic health and safety for the venue and public access to hot food & drink
Tidying up afterwards
ExperimentalDesign a dykeExperimental archaeology: Get the local schools/colleges/clubs, etc. to design a dyke looking at the designs from the archaeological record.
Design a dyke that could be built at a local venue perhaps - even a model at a school		Pens, paper, modeling tools, etc.
ExperimentalBuild a dykeExperimental archaeology: 3m by 5m deep with the ramp up the 5m stretch at an angle to the viewing point so the visitors can see the dyke and what it showed and obscured
Ideally the first would be at the Knighton Offa's Dyke Centre with a camera from the centre looking at the structure and taking photos periodically - time-lapse or streaming video		Timber, chalk, soil, mattock, safety gear (from local builders?), manpower (local builders?), etc.Data Protection
Local authority permission, warning signs, heritage notice board, etc. (aided by and through the project)
LiaisonLocal contactsPlease list the local contacts in schools, colleges, clubs, associations, colleges, guide/scout groups, local press, local businesses (perhaps for sponsorship), etc. that you feel would be helpfulNotesNone
LiaisonMicro-CoSMM meetingsOrganise meetings between us and the CoSMM.coordinators and invite other locals to show what's been done - using resources you've fed back to CoSMMOut
Could be via Skype or Facebook chat or a mixture of, say, Offa's Dyke Centre meeting room and online chat/skype		To Be Decided
Venue if necessary		None
LiaisonProject updates/liasisonLiaison with us about ideas you or your group has had.
Anything of interest in the local area?
Any concerns about planning, etc. that we may be able to help with		Venue, skype/social mediaNone
ProjectChain ReactionA group of volunteers photograph themselves on the dyke from distances of 20m between people (the 1st at a fixed point).
Then turn around and photograph the person behind them		Digital camera's or smartphonesData Protection
Care to time it photos so the 'next' person you are photographing stays still until the shot is taken.
Ensure the (rough) distance is noted
ProjectPersonal HistorysKids (with chaparone if necessary) take recording devices and interview older local residents to see what they remember about living near the dyke and when their forefathers (and/or friends) took them to walk or play around the dykePen & paper
recorder (smartphone or other hand-held recorder)		Data Protection
Accompanied by adult/chaparone/teacher
ProjectFixed point photographyAt fixed points along the dyke, take photos towards the 4 points of the compass.
Note the time and date (time of year) and in what direction for each photo in a log
Photos to be taken at regular intervals (say, once per month?)
Note: Fixed points to be discussed by CoSMM & coordinators with Offa's Dyke Path officer		Camera or smartphoneEnsure the notes are made of the direction, date and time
Ensure they are on the path not the monument where possible
MarketingODA
Offa's Dyke Ale		Contact a local brewery with the ODA-at-50 logo to put on one or more ales (about 3% - 5% hoppy to strong session)To Be DecidedCost
Distribution
Lead-in time
ProjectViewpoint photographyLike Fixed Point Photgraphy but taken from away from the dyke towards the fixed pointCamera or smartphoneEnsure the notes are made of which fixed point, date and time
Ensure they are not on the monument where possible
Outreach50 events in the 50th anniversaryTo Be DecidedCosts
Advertising news of the events
Calendar and news coverage
Timescales

Hello world!

Aside

1

Hiya.
This is a web site dedicated to CoSMM – Community Stewardship of Mercian Monuments … in this case primarily Offa’s Dyke and Wat’s Dyke.
In collaboration and support of the Offa’s Dyke Association (which now incorporates Wat’s dyke), we are progressing this very exciting venture of working with communities, on both sides of the monument, along the length so if you know of contacts please do let us know cosmmout@gmail.com.

The site has been set up by Archaeology Outreach UK and we are a couple of archaeology students keen on Outreach or simply engaging communities in  archaeology, heritage, monitoring, preserving or simply admiring their local monuments.

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