A young person seated at a wooden table on the grass with a tray of excavated animal bones and shells.

Dig It! at Cookham 2026

We’re excited to share another of this year’s Dig It! competitions!

Three lucky winners will be heading to Cookham, near Maidenhead, East Berkshire on Friday 31st July 2026. Winners will be hosted by the team at the University of Reading and will be exploring the site of an Anglo-Saxon monastery!

During their Dig It! with YAC day, our winners will have the opportunity to experience a range of field-based tasks such as digging, processing finds, and learning other archaeological skills too – in fact, they’ll learn what being an archaeologist is really like!

What’s the history of the site?

Since 2021, this University of Reading research project is excavating the site of an Anglo-Saxon monastery next to Holy Trinity church in the village of Cookham, Berkshire.  Cookham forms one of a network of Anglo-Saxon monasteries established along the route of the River Thames and its tributaries, from Cricklade (Gloucestershire) in the west to Minster-in-Sheppey (Kent) in the east.  Known primarily from historical sources, archaeological understanding of these riverine establishments is very poor but the investigations at Cookham are changing what we know about these sites. This year we will be investigating the site of a large wooden hall and a cemetery showing signs of care and healing.

One of the most exciting finds from last year’s excavations was decorated comb carved from animal bone from the 8th/9th century!

A person holds up a small early medieval comb
An 8th/9th century decorated animal bone comb, found last year on the dig.
An aerial view of an archaeological dig site where a large group are on a guided tour.
A guided tour of Trench 1, where we have evidence of the Anglo-Saxon monastic settlement


What else will I win?

Once again, we will be offering every winner an £80 bursary made possible by the Marsh Charitable Trust to help cover the costs of travel, accommodation and/or subsistence (your lunch!). These bursaries are designed to break down barriers to participation by helping cover the cost of attending for young people engaging with archaeology, making it easier for them to take part in life-changing fieldwork opportunities.

And that’s not all! Each winner will also receive a satchel of archaeological tools, including your own trowel, brush, magnifier and everything you need to record your finds. This fantastic prize has been donated by our friends at Past Horizons.

How do I enter the competition?

To be in with a chance of winning you will need to answer the following question:

What material was the Anglo-Saxon comb found at Cookham last year made from?

  1. Wood
  2. Copper
  3. Animal bone

Please Note:

  • Each winner must be accompanied by a responsible adult on the day
  • Winners must be aged 8-16 AND a member of YAC
  • Parental/carer permission is required to enter.
  • The deadline to enter is 14th June.

Please read our terms and conditions before entering.

Click here to enter the competition!

Good Luck!!!