South West Heritage Trust, Valley Arts, and Bath & North East Somerset Council are pleased to announce Every Coin Tells a Story, a free, family-friendly celebration of the Chew Valley Hoard.
The Chew Valley Hoard acquisition and engagement programme is supported by funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. The event, which will take place on Saturday 20 June at the Old School Rooms, Chew Magna, from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm, is further supported by Arts Council England and Bristol Water.
Every Coin Tells a Story forms part of a wider collaborative programme by Valley Arts and South West Heritage Trust, which seeks to connect communities with their local heritage through creative engagement and interpretation. The project culminates in the performance of a community play titled Finders Keepers, which takes place on 18 and 19 July at Yeo Valley Organic Garden, Blagdon.
This event represents a key moment in the Chew Valley Hoard Project, highlighting the power of partnership working in bringing heritage to wider audiences and ensuring local communities can connect meaningfully with their past.
South West Heritage Trust Head of Museums and Engagement, Estelle Gilbert
The Every Coin Tells a Story event offers a wide range of activities designed to appeal to all ages, including hands-on workshops, live performances, and opportunities to explore the historical context of the hoard including talks by South West Heritage Trust Senior Curator Amal Khreisheh. Drop-in activities running throughout the day include screen printing inspired by historic coin designs, coin embossing with artist Giuliana Terran, macro photography, add your face to a digital coin design, a medieval-themed dress-up area, and a treasure trail.
Valley Arts exists to bring exceptional cultural events to the Chew Valley, and it doesn’t get much more exceptional than this. On 20 June, some of the most extraordinary coins ever found in Britain are coming home, right here in Chew Magna, free for everyone to see. We’re very excited!
Geraldine Hill-Male, Valley Arts Chair
The Chew Valley Hoard was acquired by the South West Heritage Trust for the Somerset Council museum collection under the Treasure Act 1996 thanks to major funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Art Fund and smaller but vital amounts of funding from South West Heritage Trust, Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society and the Friends of the Museum of Somerset.
Every Coin Tells a Story is a free, drop-in day. For more information visit valley-arts.co.uk and swheritage.org.uk
Header image: Senior Curator of Archaeology Amal Khreisheh holding a coin from the Chew Valley Hoard © South West Heritage Trust