We worked with Canterbury Archaeological Trust from December 2023 to May 2025 to provide an independent evaluation of their exciting and innovative community engagement programme funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The East Wear Bay project encompassing both the archaeological work and the project’s community outreach sought to deliver inclusive activities for those experiencing barriers to accessing heritage including young people not in education, employment or training (NEET), those with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND), older people and those with dementia.
The purpose of the evaluation was to:
- understand the extent to which the heritage and archaeology has been preserved, documented and shared. This will create a legacy and improved understanding of the East Wear Bay site for future generations to enjoy, appreciate and learn from its national significance as part of a scheduled ancient monument site.
- review the extent to which the project has connected with a wide representation of the local community to enable them to explore and learn about the site today as well as how people in the past used and engaged with the site.
We worked closely with the team at CAT to develop and refine the project’s framework, and a range of inclusive/accessible tools e.g. surveys, interview resources – designed and tested with representative audiences, and data analysis to develop and deliver both an interim and end of project report.