ARCHAEOLOGISTS behind a newly formed campaign group are digging up the past to raise Dorset’s profile The Dorset Diggers Community Archaeology Group say they aim to promote Dorset’s archaeological heritage to local people and visitors.

They say that they are a campaigning group championing Dorset’s heritage and with community access at its heart.

They will carry out research, survey and excavation but also hold exhibitions and talks to interact with communities and the media.

The group is holding its first dig on the site of an ancient settlement and employment in Maiden Newton but are not sure whether it served an industrial or agricultural use.

Archaeologist Chris Tripp, who is Diggers technical and media officer, said: “The excavation will aim to bring back a lost part of the heritage of the village. We will also engage the community in this research.

“This is a good opportunity for our members and the community to learn how to excavate a site to the highest standards.

“Our next project is a much larger one and could last two to three years, so we are excited by the long term research this project will afford us.” The Diggers also aim to attract more people to see Dorset’s heritage for the good of the county’s economy. They say that many people visit the county because of the Jurassic Coast to access its famous fossil bearing geology.

But they sad that Dorset also has wonderful countryside dotted with many important and rare human-made monuments.

They include Neolithic stone circles and long barrows, Bronze Age burial mounds, Iron Age hillforts and Roman buildings and structures as well as more modern monuments from the Second World War.

The Diggers are setting up Facebook and blog pages to publish their work, including walks and talks on the monuments in the county.

Anyone interested in being part of new group can contact Chris or the secretary Alison Williams at tripp.chris60@gmail.com, 07768695162 or alison.williams@ talktalk.net.