Being a HERO!

Well here it is, my first blog post! I’ve been here 9 months now, and the time has really flown by. Moving to Wales from rural Berkshire to be the GGAT Historic Environment Record Officer (or HERO, as I like to think of it…*ahem*) in Swansea was very exciting, new and daunting all at the same time!  I was very fortunate to initially stay within the Brecon Beacons National Park, so I got to spend my first couple of months whiling away my hour-long commute by either marvelling at the wonderful scenery (when the weather was good!) or worrying that I was about to drive off the edge of a precipice (when the weather was bad!). I am now happily ensconced a little closer to the Trust offices, and feeling very much at home - I’ve even started learning Welsh, and am determined to perfect my own Welsh cake recipe…despite all attempts to date being slightly disastrous! 

The first project I worked on was Access to Archaeology, and it’s been a really interesting way to gain a better understanding of the work that gets carried out in the Glamorgan-Gwent area, and the wealth of archaeological sites that are now right on my doorstep – since moving here, I have made more than a few weekend trips out to different local areas, just on the strength of information I’ve come across at work. The volunteers we’ve had on the project this year have all been brilliant, and through their hard work we were able to reach our target for the fourth year of the project, despite starting later in the year than usual (due to me not arriving until mid-July!). So a big thankyou to them for their contributions!

Year 5 of the project is just about to kick off, and while some of our volunteers from previous years are carrying on, we also have spaces for some shiny new volunteers! If you would like to be involved, please get in touch via her@ggat.org.uk, or download the application forms on the right hand side of this page, and I look forward to meeting you soon!