York Archaeology’s Arran Johnson has been awarded for his passion for inclusion — receiving a prestigious award from the Council for British Archaeology.
Arran is part of the York Archaeology team that run community projects based at Willow House in Walmgate, York. He leads the on-going excavations and has worked hard to involve as many local charities as possible — to support people with mental health challenges as well as those suffering from social isolation.
The dig provides a supportive community where new skills are developed by people with no previous experience of archaeology. Arran has created such a warm and welcoming environment that he was the only option for the Marsh Awards’s Community Archaeologist of the Year for 2023.
Unlike the cutthroat archaeologists of old, like Edward Drinker Cope and Othniel Charles Marsh, — who competed so viciously for discoveries in the nineteenth century that their era has been remembered as the ‘bone wars’ — Arran has gone a long way to proving there’s more than one way to find success in your field.
Delighted by the honour, Arran had this to say: “There’s an inherent communality with archaeology; it is a team effort that can encompass beginners through to experienced specialists, with all making a meaningful contribution to the knowledge. It is great for mindfulness, and even when working outside in all weather conditions, can be very grounding – you can almost reach an archaeological Zen when you are concentrating on one particular area of exploration.”
“His passion and enthusiasm … creates a wonderfully supportive environment”
York Archaeology’s chief executive, David Jennings was full of praise for Arran:
“The work that Arran and the team are doing here on our Archaeology on Prescription programme is incredible, and something we are planning to roll out to other areas in the coming months. His passion and enthusiasm helps encourage others to join in and have a go, creating a wonderfully supportive environment in which participants relax and enjoy learning about their local history.”
Arran also leads York Archaeology’s York-based training programmes, which give archaeology novices and students much-needed fieldwork experience working on digs around the city, from single sessions to week-long workshops and courses.
For more information on York Archaeology’s community work, please visit www. yorkarchaeology.co.uk/take-part.
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