​December 3 is the International Day of People with Disabilities and the 2021 theme is ‘Fighting for rights in the post-COVID era.” If anything, the pandemic has highlighted alternative ways of conducting business and operations, taken just a little further these have the potential to reduce the barriers faced by people with disabilities.

​As a Disability Confident organisation Red River Archaeology is committed to play a role in changing attitudes for the better and committed to equality in the workplace. We have implemented changes to the traditional practices in the workplace and our offices are adapted for easy access with disabled facilities and friendly workspaces.

We encourage other businesses to sign up to the Disability Confident scheme, they might be surprised by the contributions that can be made by people that might otherwise have been overlooked.

​#disabilityconfident #archaeology #peoplewithdisabilities

We would like to take this opportunity to share our advert from this years’ Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA) Yearbook Directory. If you like puzzles, this is for you - if not, please send it on to the puzzle fans in your life! ​

​The commissioned work comprised archaeological evaluation of the proposed route of the new road, including the excavation of machine dug trenches, hand dug test pits and extensive geophysical survey in advance of the road scheme. The Cross Tay Link Road will link up the A93, A94 and A9 roads by way of a dual carriageway realignment, a grade separation junction and a new bridge crossing the River Tay and adjacent Railway.

We are delighted to announce that we have been approved as members of the Considerate Constructors Scheme! Construction sites, companies and suppliers voluntarily register with the Scheme and agree to abide by the Code of Considerate Practice, designed to encourage best practice beyond statutory requirements. The Scheme is concerned about any area of construction activity that may have a direct or indirect impact on the image of the industry as a whole. The main areas of concern fall into three categories: the general public, the workforce and the environment. Further details of the Scheme can be found here: ccscheme.

​The 11th February is the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. A day instigated by the UN that recognises the critical role women and girls play in science and technology. Red River Archaeology would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the scientific contribution to project delivery by our highly qualified female members of staff. There is a longstanding debate as to whether archaeology is a science or should be classified as a branch of humanities. Regardless of this many of our staff are highly qualified in more pure science based skills. It is this diverse and expert skill set that is critical to high quality project delivery and their application of STEM subject knowledge to find out about the past.

With the start of a new year, we are looking towards the future. The future of the company and the future of our staff and their careers. With this in mind Red River Archaeology Ltd is very pleased to announce that we have been able to secure funding through the European Social Fund for staff training. This funding may represent some of the last grants available through the Fund, now that the UK has left the European Union, and was specifically for their gender equality initiative the Evolving Leaders Programme. The programme described itself as “for women who are serious about building their career and want to prepare for senior management”. The Evolving Leaders Programme aims to support women to transform their strategic thinking and leadership skills, give women the confidence and tools to assess their leadership performance, develop critical thinking skills, achieve organisational goals, and make strong and informed management decisions.

​Recently a team from Red River Archaeology has been conducting field surveys in North Wales in advance and during line replacement work for the National Grid. These power lines are vital to the infrastructure of the country and cross a rich historic landscape, containing numerous archaeological sites. Part of this work has involved scheduled monument condition studies, before during and after work on the nearby pylons and lines. These surveys and monitoring were conducted to ensure that no damage was done to any of the monuments along the route of the power lines. These monuments form a significant element of the historic landscape, but what are they and why are they important?