TELEVISION celebrity Tony Robinson boosted a Worcestershire archaeology group's fortune when he presented them with a £7,210 cheque.

The former Blackadder star and presenter of BBC2's Time Team handed the cheque to the Four Parishes Archaeology Group on behalf of The Countryside Agency's local heritage initiative.

The group formed earlier this year following a rise in local interest in new archaeological discoveries around Wyre Piddle, near Pershore.

The site has been under investigation by county archaeologists since 1997 when relics dating from the Bronze Age, through the Iron Age and into Roman times were discovered.

Archaeologists are trying to determine the importance of the site before the long-awaited bypass is built.

Countryside

The Countryside Agency is responsible for advising the Government and taking action on issues affecting the social, economic and environmental well-being of the English countryside.

The Wyre Piddle area from Pinvin to Lower Moor is reckoned to be an unusual lowland settlement, as opposed to the more usual hill forts found in the area.

At the time of the original archaeological findings, it was believed the Wyre site represented a tribal area where people worked the land.

The funding will now enable the group to study surveying methods.

"This area's particularly rich in Roman remains," said Chris Tomlin, local heritage initiative officer for the Countryside Agency.

"This funding will help train members of the group to spot ancient artefacts and undertake geophysical surveys. That will mean they are an early warning system, monitoring the state of sites so they can be studied before they're lost forever."

The group has already uncovered a haul of Roman pottery during their first fieldwalk and are looking forward to future digs.

"This could be a lifetime's work," said Steve Mitchell, of the Four Parishes Archaeological Group.

"But it's instantly rewarding when you find something."