Roman fort charity Vindolanda Trust awarded £525,000

A Roman fort and museum site in Northumberland has been awarded £525,000 to buy more land for digs.

The Vindolanda Trust near Hadrian's Wall, Hexham, will use the money to buy nearby Codley Gate farmhouse which has five acres (2.4 hectares) of land.

The money has been awarded to the independent charity by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The land, currently owned by Neil and Claire Hainsworth, used to be part of the Roman fort site.

Dr Andrew Birley, director of excavations, said: "With the current owners of the property moving on, a rare opportunity was presented to acquire research, protect and preserve the area for the future."