Successful archaeological dig returns

The community dig at Carlisle Cricket Club is the site of a Roman bathhouse

Volunteers are being encouraged to join a training dig at a site where previous Roman treasures have been unearthed.

The community dig at Carlisle Cricket Club, the site of a Roman bathhouse, will run until 1 March.

A rare dye made from snails for the robes of the Roman elite and carved stone Roman heads are among the artefacts previously yielded from the patch.

Cumberland Council said the project could also help unemployed people get "experience and transferable skills".

The pilot scheme has been organised by Uncovering Roman Carlisle (UCU), with support from Cumberland Council through the government's UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

The funding aims to help people learn new skills to help them land jobs.

Alongside the dig, some candidates have been taught about the basics of archaeology and tourist guiding.

"The training is intended to use archaeology as a way of providing a number of transferable skills and raise awareness of jobs in heritage," the council said.

A rare dye made from snails for the robes of the Roman elite almost 2,000 years ago was unearthed at the site

Councillor Anne Quilter said that previous participants had got jobs while others had gone on to study and volunteer.

"The archaeology and the tour guiding training, are a means to acquire transferable skills and gain employment in a number of sectors, when combined with wrap around support from Inspira for CVs," she said.

Visits to the dig are free and anyone can join in.

Cumbria Blue Badge tourist guide and trainer, Tess Pike, said: "We have had an excellent start to the programme in January at Cumbria's Museum of Military Life in Carlisle Castle.

"The volunteers on the programme have been fantastic and the opportunities that tourist guiding can open up in terms of employment and transferable skills have been well documented."