In the shadow of the old city walls of York, women are digging. One has found Roman pottery, another is hoping to find a Victorian penny and a third looks up, recalling with childish glee: “I found a human bone last week.”
They are on a dig with a twist because they are not professionals, nor amateurs but patients who have been prescribed archaeology on the NHS.
The classes, which are open to people with depression and chronic mobility problems, are run by the York Archaeological Trust with the aim of helping patients to reconnect with the community.
Finds have included Roman pottery, Victorian coins and bones
TIMES PHOTOGRPAHER JAMES GLOSSOP
“It really is an intergenerational project,” Katrina Gargett, the trust’s community engagement manager, said. “It’s lovely to see them chatting — maybe not sharing the same cultural
