The Creswell Volunteer Archaeology Project Insights into including Rural Community Residents in Archaeology and Heritage

Creswell Heritage Trust (CHT), or Creswell Crags, is an enclosed limestone gorge on the Derbyshire/Nottinghamshire border of England and includes caves occupied during the last Ice Age. Located in Creswell, England, which is within the top 10% to 20% of the most deprived areas in the country, this rural heritage site is striving to support local communities impacted by the aftermath of mining and deindustrialisation whilst repositioning itself as an ‘archaeological park’ inviting visitors to “walk in the footsteps of early humans and woolly mammoths.” In 2023, the Creswell Volunteer Archaeology Project (CVAP), a collaboration between the University of Sheffield Department of Archaeology and CHT, successfully enacted a model of community-engaged archaeological fieldwork to understand how to mobilise public perceptions and better understand the role of archaeology for audience development and programming. CVAP successfully recruited a cohort of local community residents to participate in an excavation, implemented pre- and post-excavation interviews for participants to understand their views before and after excavation participation, and disseminated a public survey for community members to better understand and include views on archaeology and Creswell Crags. At the end of the project, CVAP and its participants co produced a free museum exhibit at CHT and a local cafe, “The Community Experience: Archaeology at the Crags,” which included a documentary created by and from the perspective of a local Creswell resident and Seasonal Service Assistant at CHT. Our 2023 work provides insights on good practices in heritage management for other rural, cultural tourism sites, including: interacting with socioeconomically deprived communities via social media engagement, physical fliers, and free, in-person events outside of heritage sites; methods of communication with local community members and heritage staff to include their voices and perspectives; and co-producing informative museum exhibits which are accessible both within and outside of rural heritage sites.