AOC Heritage & Community Outreach Services

AOC Archaeology Group is strongly committed to community involvement in its archaeology and heritage projects, wherever possible subject to client confidentiality.

When possible, AOC Archaeology Group encourages community involvement in projects and effective dissemination of the results of our work to as wide an audience as possible. Our outreach policy is based on four principles:

• dissemination of the results of archaeological investigation to as wide an audience as possible is fundamental to the practice of archaeology
• outreach is both a response to public interest and a way of encouraging further public interest and involvement in local archaeology, which in turn strengthens the protection of archaeology
• outreach can provide Community Gain as part of the basis for planning consent for the development of sites where there is perceived to be some form of public loss
• provision of outreach activity is a benefit to both the community and our clients

As a Registered Archaeological Organisation, we adhere to the Institute of Field Archaeologists’ protocols on the use of volunteer labour. Volunteer participation operates within an environment of constant supervision and relevant training, and is complementary to, not a substitute for, paid professional services.

As part of AOC Archaeology Group’s commitment to community outreach, we organise and sponsor the Midlothian Young Archaeologists Club, in partnership with the Council for Scottish Archaeology.