# Help Us Tell Teignbridge's Story

The Teignbridge Archaeological Society is bringing archaeology out of museums and textbooks and into the gardens of our local community. 

 Our Garden Project is a community archaeology project exploring the history beneath ordinary gardens across Teignbridge. 

By excavating small archaeological test pits, we can begin to piece together how our towns, villages and communities developed over hundreds – and potentially thousands – of years. 

 But this project is about much more than what we find underground, we want local people to be directly involved in discovering and recording their own history. Our members learn real archaeological skills, including excavation, stratigraphy, archaeological recording, finds processing, surveying and digital techniques.

 People don’t need previous archaeological experience – the whole point is to learn by getting involved, and we’ve already shown just how much potential there is beneath our feet. Our work has uncovered archaeology ranging from everyday finds through to features requiring specialist investigation and analysis. 

Every garden has the potential to add another piece to the story of Teignbridge. 

 What are we raising money for: 

Running a proper archaeological project requires considerably more than a few trowels and a willingness to get muddy! Money raised through this GoFundMe will help us purchase and maintain excavation, surveying, recording and finds-processing equipment. It will also help pay for specialist scientific analysis and testing where required, allowing us to properly investigate and understand what we discover. Funding will also support the materials needed to record, preserve, research and eventually share our discoveries with the wider community. 

 We want the results of the Garden Project to contribute to a genuine archaeological record of the area rather than simply disappearing back into a cupboard once the excavation is finished. And, of course… CAKE!. There is one piece of essential archaeological equipment that rarely appears in excavation manuals: cake. Our volunteers give up their own time to dig, record, wash finds, research, survey and occasionally spend an unreasonable amount of time discussing a tiny piece of pottery. 

 Keeping everyone supplied with tea, coffee, biscuits and cake might not be the most scientifically advanced part of archaeology, but anyone who has spent a cold day standing in a muddy test pit will tell you that it’s extremely important! So yes – a small part of your donation may genuinely end up keeping an archaeologist supplied with cake. 

 Community archaeology for everyone TAS was created to make practical archaeology accessible. We want people of different ages, backgrounds and abilities to have opportunities to participate, learn new skills and contribute to genuine archaeological research. 

 The Garden Project allows us to investigate places that might otherwise never receive archaeological attention while creating a growing picture of the history of Teignbridge. Every test pit adds another piece to that picture. Whether your donation helps us buy a piece of excavation equipment, pay for specialist analysis, process an archaeological find or simply provide the tea and cake that keeps our volunteers going, every contribution helps us uncover and preserve another piece of our local history

 Thank you for supporting the Teignbridge Archaeological Society and the Garden Project. 

 Together, let’s discover what’s beneath our feet.