Thousands of archaeological sites along England’s coast and tidal estuaries are being destroyed by extreme weather, rising sea levels and tidal scour. CITiZAN, the Coastal and Intertidal Zone Archaeological Network, is the first national community-led project to tackle the alarming threat to our heritage. Today, CITiZAN is calling for an army of volunteers to help survey and monitor these nationally-important but vulnerable archaeological sites before they disappear.
One of the largest community archaeology projects in the country, taking in 5,600 miles of coastline over 500 miles of tidal foreshore, CITiZAN runs free community-based training, building a network of volunteers with the skills and systems needed to survey and monitor threatened sites. Armed with tape measures, buckets and mobile phones, volunteers create standardised records of exposed archaeological sites.
Hosted by MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology), the CITiZAN project has been awarded £1.4m from the Heritage Lottery Fund, enhanced by the National Trust and The Crown Estate’s stewardship programme, together with support from Historic England.
The three-year project operates across England from regional centres. The Council for British Archaeology are proud to be supporting the project in York, with MOLA in London, and the Nautical Archaeology Society in Portsmouth.
For more information about CITiZAN and local training opportunities and events visit the CITiZAN website.
