VOLUNTEERS in Heddon-on-the-Wall have been supporting researchers with a project which could shape the future of Hadrian’s Wall.

The Hadrian’s Wall Community Archaeology Project (HWCAP), based at Newcastle University, is due to run for three years from autumn 2018 and has been largely funded by a £1.3m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Through the project, the university’s School of History, Classics and Archaeology will be identifying the locations which are deteriorating on Hadrian’s Wall, because of problems including severe weather, wear and tear, damage caused by invasive plants and erosion by animals.

On days throughout March and April, volunteers have been helping with scoping work at Heddon-on-the-Wall as part of a pilot study for the project, which is aimed to try out some of the things that the project would like to do, as well as to get a better idea of the condition of the Wall.

The volunteers have been learning how to use equipment which produces a 3D scan of parts of the Wall to help the academics from the university understand more about its condition.

Coun. John Stewart, of Heddon-on-the-Wall Parish Council, was one of the volunteers who attended. He said around 12 volunteers from Heddon had been supporting the team.

“I think it’s just really fascinating and interesting to hear about the local history and it’s great so many people wanted to get involved,” he said.

The volunteers have also started to investigate at St Andrew’s Church in the village, as part of another component of the project: The Stone Sourcing and Dispersal project, also known as “Where’s Hadrian’s Wall Gone?”

In this part of the project, volunteers will use the latest digital and scientific techniques to hunt for stones that used to be part of the Wall but were later built into other structures.

Project lead, Professor Sam Turner, head of the School of History, Classics and Archaeology, said: “The stone quarried by the Romans was later used for houses, farms, field walls, churches and castles. People are living and working within it every day – but they might not know they are.

“We are hoping this part of our work will enable communities to discover how the Wall has been used to shape local landscapes in all kinds of ways.”