First, Tilly from Rhondda Cynon Taff YAC told us:

This summer something amazing happened. I won a competition with YAC (Young Archaeologist’s Club) and was invited to join a real archaeological dig in Irchester! When I found out I had won, I felt incredibly excited – it was my very first dig, and since I absolutely LOVE history, it felt like a dream come true.

As soon as I arrived on the site, I got my trowel, bucket and brush and began digging right away. It was fascinating from the start. I was allowed to work in a small pit, and after scraping away at the soil, I discovered some pottery. It was so exciting! I couldn’t believe I had actually found something buried from the past.

I had help from a kind girl called Izzy, who was really friendly and helpful. She encouraged me as I worked and made sure I understood how to use the tools properly. The archaeologists on site were brilliant and they told me all about my discoveries and helped me to identify what I had found! I recorded everything in my archaeology journal so I wouldn’t forget about the things I had found. Altogether I found pottery, bones and some teeth.

After digging, we washed our finds and learned how to catalogue them properly. The team used egg boxes to store them which I thought was clever but funny!

Later in the day, all the competition winners were invited to explore the Archaeological Resource Centre. It was amazing – full of fascinating artefacts. My favourite thing inside was the mosaic floor. It was so pretty and I was amazed that it had lasted for so long.

I want to say a big thank you to the YAC team for picking me as a winner and letting me be part of the dig. It was one of the best days I have ever had and now I want to be an archaeologist even more when I grow up! 

Next, Guhan from Solihull YAC told us:

I took part in the Dig It competition at the Young Archaeologists’ Club and won a dig at Chester House Estate in Irchester. The question I had to answer was: On the banks of which river is the Chester House Estate situated? The answer was River Nene.

After arriving at Wellingborough train station on July 4^th 2025, we took a cab to Chester House Estate. It was a huge place with lots of open space and greenery. As I walked to the dig site, I saw the River Nene to my left. It looked really beautiful.

One of the archaeologists gave me instructions on how to dig. A few weeks before the trip, YAC sent me an archaeology kit by post. It had a magazine and tools like a trowel, brush, a small diary for notes, and a pencil case. I used the trowel to start digging. There were many other archaeologists and YAC members digging in small areas around me.

The dig site was near a Roman settlement from almost 2,000 years ago! All the artefacts we found were that old. In my little dig area, I found pieces of pottery, a few bones, oyster and snail shells, and some coal. The archaeologists said the bones and coal might be leftover rubbish from Roman meals. We also had to save the soil we dug up so they could study it later.

After digging, we got to wash our finds and write down what we discovered. Then we had a lunch break. Later, I got to use a radar for geophysics to look for archaeology underground. The radar looked like a lawnmower with a screen. I pushed it up and down the field to scan the ground. It was really cool, but I still liked digging more!

I did more digging after that and found the rim and base of a clay pot, more bones, and a large piece of ironstone. They let me keep the stone for my collection!

Later, an archaeologist called Ben from the University of Leicester gave me and the two other winners a tour of the Archaeological Resource Centre (ARC). We saw some amazing things and I even got to hold a few! I held a 10,000-year-old woolly rhinoceros femur, a 600-year-old glazed medieval pot, a 6,000-year-old polished stone axe head, and a handmade Anglo-Saxon cup. I also saw beautiful Roman mosaics. Some were broken because people had put fences through them or ploughed the field.

There was even a rare Roman wall painting of a face and the oldest complete clay spoon found in the UK! One of the funniest things I saw was a broken brick that said, “Potonious made this.” Ben said someone probably wrote it as a joke, and it got preserved in time!

The ARC had so many interesting things: Roman and medieval coffins, columns, weapons, tools, ritual objects, and even human bones.

I’ve always found archaeology fascinating. But after spending a day at Chester House Estate, I realised it takes a lot of patience and teamwork. It’s definitely not as quick and easy as the Indiana Jones movies! After the tour, we went home, even though I didn’t want to.

I’m so glad I took part in the Dig It! competition. I want to thank the Young Archaeologists’ Club for giving me this amazing chance. I had so much fun, and I hope I can go on many more digs in the future!

I have ever had and now I want to be an archaeologist even more when I grow up! 

Finally, Henry from Chertsey YAC told us:

I was amazed when I got the email to say I’d won the competition and even more surprised when I received the YAC archaeology bag and equipment in the post.  Thank you very much YAC!

We left Surrey very early to drive to Irchester in Northamptonshire and arrived at around 9:00am when I met the other competition winners and Ben, an archaeologist, who explained the day ahead.

Next, I met an archaeological geophysicist who showed me how to use a machine which uses radar to see what is under the ground. It maps the ground and can identify all potential threats to make digging safer.  I found this very interesting. After that I went to the excavation site and started to dig where we were lucky enough to find lots of Roman pottery and bones. At the end of each session, we carefully washed our finds. 

Finally, the winners were very lucky to have a private tour of the ARC (Archaeological Resource Centre).  We were able to hold a number of very special finds and learn all about them.  My favourite item was the woolly rhino bone which was found at Wolston quarry.

I really enjoyed my special day at Irchester where I met such friendly and helpful people and I learnt so much about archaeology. I have booked to go on another dig in September!