Digging for Erlestoke is a community dig with a difference, the community being a group of male prisoners from HMP Erlestoke, a category C prison in Wiltshire.
Designed and delivered by Wessex Archaeology and supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the project set out to improve wellbeing through access to archaeology and heritage. In the process, the project took on its own unique energy; a small band of men found meaning and fulfilment and experienced a profound change in their mindset and outlook on life.
Not only that, they made a genuine contribution to the archaeological record, uncovering a story that spans 6000 years on a seemingly insignificant Greensand outlier within the confines of the prison.
Join Leigh Chalmers and Dr. Phil Harding as they discuss the project’s impact, exploring how archaeology can be a tool for rehabilitation, the discoveries made during the dig, and the personal stories that emerged from this unique initiative.
Speakers
Leigh Chalmers
