From the Gazette & Herald.
( Here's a much better article than the piece posted on the Heritage Action Avebury Journal, which I will no longer be contributing to)
PeteG
AN army of metal detector enthusiasts descended on a field in Wiltshire on Sunday to take part in a charity search for buried treasure.
Armed with their metal detectors, spades and uncontrollable imaginations the assembled horde scattered to all corners of the field in search of treasure.
The charity event, organised by the Wootton Bassett and District Rotary Club, began just after 10am at Hackpen Hill, near Broad Hinton. In the shadow of the white horse, enthusiasts methodically scoured the land with ears pricked waiting for the bleep of their metal detectors.
Mr Leavey said: "We buried 500 tokens in the field about a month ago and each token people found was exchanged for a raffle ticket which went into the prize draw at the end of the day.
"And of course there was a good chance of unearthing other items that we hadn't buried."
By lunchtime the first finds were starting to surface as the empty 175-acre field grudgingly began to release its buried secrets.
Items included a silver Saxon buckle ring, a bronze Roman dolphin-shaped brooch, a 13th century bronze arrow head and a handful of coins of varying ages.
By the end of the hunt 370 of the 500 tokens had been found with more than 30 other items being brought forward for display.
Included amongst them were a Roman denarius, several silver Roman hammered coins, a Saxon worker's livery badge and a partial bronze axe head dating back some 2,500 years.
"We also had a very ornate tenth century Viking cloissome brooch which was quite unusual. That caused a lot of interest," said Mr Leavey.
With more than 400 people attending from across the UK the event was the biggest yet in its eight-year history.
Lorry driver Geoff Kingwell, 63, travelled the six-hour round journey from Plymouth to take part.
"I found a nice George III farthing in pretty good nick so I was pleased with that and there's always the chance that you could stumble across something amazing at any time," he said.
Mr Kingwell has been detecting for 25 years and has dedicated a room in his house as a museum for the items, which include four gold coins.
David Merriman, 53, and his wife Yvonne, 49, of Cheltenham, also took part and found a Victorian pendant on a chain and a medieval dagger hangar belt fixing.
Mr Merriman said: "There are two buzzes really. The first is finding something and the second is finding out what it is.
"You can learn so much from what you find and searching can be very relaxing."
Farmer David White owns the field where the hunt took place and was delighted with the results.
The event raised £4,500 which will be split between the Kalabash Trust, which helps build crèches and classrooms in South Africa, and Sense International.
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