THE STAFFORDSHIRE HOARD HAS BEEN SAVED FOR THE COUNTRY

THE ART FUND HAS RECENTLY ANNOUNCED THAT THE STAFFORDSHIRE HOARD, THE LARGEST ARCHAEOLOGICAL ANGLO-SAXON FIND EVER UNEARTHED, HAS BEEN SAVED FOR THE NATION. THE NEWS COMES AFTER THE NATIONAL HERITAGE MEMORIAL FUND (NHMF), THE GOVERNMENT'S FUND OF LAST RESORT FOR HERITAGE ITEMS AT RISK, PLEDGED £1,285,000, BRINGING THE CAMPAIGN TO THE £3.3 MILLION TARGET, JUST OVER THREE WEEKS AHEAD OF SCHEDULE. THANKS TO THE SUPPORT OF THE PUBLIC, TRUSTS AND FOUNDATIONS, AND THE GENEROUS £1,285,000 NHMF GRANT, THE AWE-INSPIRING FIND HAS NOW BEEN SAFELY SECURED FOR BIRMINGHAM MUSEUMS & ART GALLERY AND THE POTTERIES MUSEUM & ART GALLERY, STOKE-ON-TRENT. STEPHEN DEUCHAR, DIRECTOR OF THE ART FUND, SAID: 'WE HAVE BEEN ABSOLUTELY BOWLED OVER BY THE ENTHUSIASM AND FASCINATION THE STAFFORDSHIRE HOARD HAS SPARKED AMONGST THE BRITISH PUBLIC, AS WELL AS VISITORS FROM ABROAD. IT IS WONDERFUL NEWS THAT THE NHMF HAS ENABLED THE TARGET OF £3.3 MILLION TO BE REACHED AHEAD OF THE DEADLINE, AND I HOPE THAT THIS WILL GIVE THE WEST MIDLANDS A HEAD-START WITH THE NEXT STAGE IN FUND RAISING FOR THE CONSERVATION, RESEARCH AND DISPLAY OF THE TREASURE.' HOWEVER, THE ART FUND EMPHASIZED THAT THERE IS STILL MORE WORK TO BE DONE. A FURTHER £1.7 MILLION MUST BE FOUND SO THAT THE HOARD CAN BE PROPERLY CONSERVED, STUDIED AND DISPLAYED. PLANS FOR THE FUTURE CONSERVATION AND INTERPRETATION OF THE HOARD INCLUDE THE CREATION OF A 'MERCIAN TRAIL' WHICH WOULD HIGHLIGHT THE FASCINATING HISTORY OF MERCIA, THE ANGLO-SAXON KINGDOM WHICH COVERED THE WEST MIDLANDS AREA. THE HOARD WAS FOUND IN JULY 2009 IN A FIELD NEAR LICHFIELD, WHICH ALREADY CONTAINS TWO OTHER ANGLO-SAXON TREASURES: THE ILLUMINATED ST CHAD GOSPELS AND A STONE ANGEL. WATLING STREET, THE FAMOUS ROAD NOW KNOWN AS THE A5, RUNS CLOSE TO WHERE THE HOARD LAY BURIED FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS.