The Romans in Ravenglass project was community-led, involving local people in planning, preparation, and the excavation itself. Outreach was a significant part of the project, delivered across a series of strands.
The site received 215 pupil visits from eight local schools. On-site activities included a tour of Roman Ravenglass, finds-handling, finds-washing, and helping to excavate part of the site. To support the site visits, in-school sessions for five of these schools were based around Roman artefacts from Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery. In addition to the schools outreach, 16 young people, including members of the Kendal Young Archaeologists’ Club, were provided with bespoke sessions.
"The children learned a lot, were inspired, and it was a great start to our Roman topic - hands on history"
- Head of Ennerdale and Kinniside CE Primary
The highlight of 2014 was
"the sheer volume of interested visitors. There were so many at times that we found it hard to keep count."
- An archaeology volunteer
The excavation site was open every day for site tours. Seven special open days attracted 800 people. Open day activities included excavation, mosaic-making, finds-handling, treasure hunts, finds-displays, finds-identification with the Portable Antiquities Scheme, and site tours. The events attracted both visitors to the area as well as local residents.
