HUMAN REMAINS VOLUNTEER

SHARP provides an opportunity to work with the Human Remains (HR) Team and other HR volunteers on-site at Sedgeford on our archive collection, working to help our team towards a final publication.

 

Please note that this is not a course on Human Remains and there will be no specific training provided during the week. It is therefore essential that you have either taken one of SHARP's Human Remains courses before attending. Alternatively, we will accept volunteers that have experience and training provided through an accredited Osteology course at a university. 

Please click here for information on SHARP's HR course.

If you are unsure whether your previous experience is equivalent to a SHARP HR course, please do make a booking enquiry and the HR Team can discuss this with you.

 

The first day of each volunteer week will include a skeletal anatomy refresher session and an introduction to the SHARP recording forms and recording systems for human remains.

 

Examples of work that may take place:

-    Recording of disarticulated human bone

-    Data checking of articulated skeleton recording

-    Dental and pathology data entry from skeletal records

-    Investigation of groups of burials with respect to intercutting and disarticulated bone

-    Scanning and cataloguing of photographs from the 1996 – 2007 excavations, donated by volunteers who took part in the excavations

-    Photography of skeletal remains for monograph publication and development of an online HR course

 

If you are interested in helping with a specific aspect of the HR work, please indicate this at the time of booking and we will try to accomodate personal preference where possible.

Week 2: 19/07/26 - 24/07/26 inclusive. FULLY BOOKED

Week 3: 26/07/26 - 31/07/26 inclusive. 

6 days

Volunteer rate for 6 days of excavation with lunch, use of facilities, and Tuesday evening lecture admission included - £180 (or £160 if booked before 1st April 2025 on our early bird offer).

 

There is a £30 discount available for Week 3 bookings due to our Festival of Archaeology taking place on the Sunday. This will be applied automatically when booking.

 

Onsite camping space and use of shower facilities for a week - £50

We ask that all those camping to arrive on the Saturday afternoon before the start of their booked week, and they can leave at any time the following Saturday, or on the Friday afternoon/evening after work if this works better for them.

 

All onsite meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) and all evening entertainment for a week - £60

 

 The volunteer only rate includes lunch onsite, drinks, and admission to our Tuesday night lecture (if you wish to attend), but does not include accommodation or breakfast/evening meals. If you wish to camp onsite during your stay, and/or eat breakfast and lunch onsite, please select these options when making your booking. 

SHARP offers financial support for excavation and our courses through the John Hensby Memorial Bursary. For more information and to apply, please visit The John Hensby Fund.

On the Sunday of week 3 we hold our annual Festival of Archaeology, a day where we fundraise and provide more experiences and activities for those that attend. This has been a major part of SHARP since the start and as a charity it is one of the ways we interact with the general public.

 

We recognise however that volunteers that attend this week tend to be asked to assist with activities or the organisation of this event. While we try and ensure that volunteers are on a rotation basis so that everyone gets to do some archaeological activities - in this case HR related activities - as part of the day, we can’t guarantee how much digging you will get in on the Sunday. We have therefore decided that week 3 will be offered at a discounted rate to account for this inconvenience.

 

For those that attend the Festival of Archaeology, the event provides opportunities for your CV and/or BAJR passports, as there are opportunities for improving your public engagement skills which are not always available in other weeks. There are lots of tasks suitable for all types of people, our public facing roles include working on information stands such as HR, dressing up as historical characters, demonstrating finds cleaning or archaeological activities, doing children’s activities such as excavating ancient poo or pot making, or working at our many fundraising stands. There are also activities like car parking for those not wanting to interact with the public (which can be done on rotation to ensure you get some time to do HR related activities).

 

If anyone is attending in week 2 and would like to extend their stay and assist with the archaeological festival we would be more than happy for you to extend you stay until Sunday evening at no extra charge.

Please note: persons aged 15 are welcome to attend with a parent or guardian accompanying. Ages 16 and 17 may attend unaccompanied with parental or guardian permission.

For more information on working as a Human Remains volunteer, including what will be covered, a timetable, and an equipment list, see the information pack which can be found with all our course/volunteer specific documents at the bottom of our Season Bookings page.

At SHARP we have always tried to cater for as many dietary needs as possible. However the limitations of cooking in a container cabin in a field, and the increasing numbers and types of allergies, means that while we do try, we can't always cater for all needs. Particularly for those people with severe and/or life-threatening allergies.

 

We currently cater for Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free and Dairy Free diets for those having lunch with us or camping on site.

 

For allergies other than these please contact SHARP in advance of making your booking to find out whether we can cater for your situation.

We endeavour to make the project as inclusive as possible for people with a variety of medical conditions. We also have a good history of working with people with learning difficulties such as Dyslexia, Asperger's, and Dyspraxia. We ask as part of the booking process that you please make us aware of any medical conditions and how they impact you so that we can better accommodate you.

 

If you have medical needs that require charging of medical devices, please get in touch before making a booking. The camp site is off the grid, with power provided by a solar array. This works well in most situations, however, in poor weather we may not be able to guarantee you power to charge large devices at all times.