Before joining the Leicestershire Young Archaeologists’ Club (LYAC) or attending any of our sessions, it is important that parents/guardians of prospective members and existing members read this section.
Who can attend a LYAC session?
We are a club for young people aged 8-16. It is not necessary for children and young people aged 8-16 years to have a parent/guardian present. We will ensure that your child is well looked after. All LYAC volunteers have been carefully recruited and trained by YAC UK and have undergone an enhanced criminal record check. For more information on YAC UK’s policy for safeguarding children please go to www.yac-uk.org/safeguarding-children.
If your child has a disability or additional needs, we kindly ask that you make the LYAC team aware of this in advance in case we have to make special arrangements for each meeting. We do try to make our meetings hands on and accessible for everyone. However, on some occasions this might not be possible due to the nature of a particular activity or location.
Our volunteers are not able to help children with medical or personal care, except emergency First Aid. If your child needs this kind of help a parent/guardian will need to accompany them at sessions.
If you would like to discuss this further, please feel free to contact a member of the LYAC team.
How often do we meet and what do we do?
We typically meet once a month usually for two to three hours on a Saturday or Sunday. Sometimes we run whole-day events and if special opportunities arise we occasional put on extra events in addition to our monthly meetings (this is usually during the summer months when there is more opportunities to be outdoors).
We run all sorts of archaeological and historical activities, including visiting and investigating archaeological sites and historic places, trying out traditional crafts, taking part in excavations and laboratory work, and lots more.
How much does it cost for my child to join?
LYAC is run entirely by volunteers on a not‑for‑profit basis. Our fees are kept as low as possible to cover essential costs while making the club accessible to as many children as possible.
Annual Membership
- £15 per child
- Includes a welcome pack with a LYAC branded t‑shirt, cap, bag and stickers
Once registered, members can book onto sessions. You may attend one, several, or all sessions run during the year.
Session Fees
- £3 per session, per child (ages 8–16)
- One session is usually run per month
- Fees contribute to room hire, activity materials and running costs
- Prices are reviewed annually
Payment is collected at the start of each session and can be made by cash or card.
Financial Assistance
We believe no child should miss out on archaeology due to financial circumstances. Support may be available to help with annual membership fees, session fees, or occasional events for families experiencing financial difficulty.
Any requests for support are handled sensitively and in confidence. We do not require proof of circumstances and assess requests on a case‑by‑case basis, subject to club finances.
If you feel this support may be helpful now or in the future, please speak to the Branch Leaders in confidence or email LeicestershireYAC@gmail.com. Full details can be found in:
Fundraising
LYAC also runs occasional fundraising activities to help meet running costs for the club and YAC UK. From time to time, the LYAC team may ask families to support these efforts.
What are the benefits of taking part?
We run 10 sessions a year. Our members are welcome to attend as many of these as they like (or all of them!). Every December session ends with a Christmas party and during the summer we try to arrange as much fieldwork as possible.
As a branch of YAC UK, our members get a YAC Pass which gets them special offers at museums and other attractions all over the UK. Go to www.yac-uk.org/places-to-go to search for attractions with offers for YAC Pass holders. Our members also have a chance to get other goodies through their membership, participation in activities and other competitions.
What do I need to do for my child to join LYAC?
If your child is interested in joining LYAC please contact the team. We are a large club and membership is in high demand so please be aware that space is limited for certain sessions.
We will ask you to fill out YAC UK’s standard club membership form. This includes emergency contact details for parents/guardians, details of medical conditions and additional needs and also includes a section to provide photographic permission.
A copy of the form can be downloaded from here https://www.yac-uk.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/2026_Club_Membership_Form.pdf or can be collected from a member of the team during a session. We ensure that these forms are updated annually.
Should your child have specific medical needs, for example allergies that need the use of an epi-pen, we will require an additional healthcare plan to be filled in. This can also be downloaded from https://www.yac-uk.org/run-a-club/club-admin/running-your-club/individual-support-plans/ and will again be updated annually.
What do we ask of parents/guardians?
It is important that both parents/guardians and the LYAC team work together to ensure that our members not only have an enjoyable time but are safe throughout. The following are some simple guidelines for what is expected of parents/guardians regarding their behaviour and the behaviour of their children:
- It is the responsibility of the parents/guardians to ensure that their children are dressed appropriately for the type of activity that they are attending. Information will be provided by the LYAC team before each session outlining what members will need to wear/bring.
- If attending a session, it is the responsibility of the parents/guardians to ensure that their children do not misbehave or cause disruption for the other members.
- If attending a session, it is the responsibility of the parents/guardians to follow any rules set out by the LYAC team. If one of the LYAC team asks a member to do OR not do something, please respect their request as it will have been made to ensure the safety of the member/s.
- It is the responsibility of the parents/guardians to remember that, even though they are present with their children, there are other LYAC members present who do not have a parent with them. Unattended members are the responsibility of the LYAC team. If you are aware of an issue concerning an unattended member pleases highlight it with a member of the LYAC team so that they can resolve it.
- It is the responsibility of the parents/guardians to ensure that their children do not bring knives (such as penknives) or weapons with them to meetings. If cutting tools are required for a session, an appropriate solution will be provided by the LYAC team.
- It is the responsibility of the parents/guardians to ensure that all medical and contact details are kept up to date. The LYAC team will check this information annually but should be informed of additional changes between checks.
- If it is felt that an activity is unsafe or not suitable, it is the responsibility of the parents/guardians to notify the LYAC team immediately.
Do you have any questions or feedback?
Your feedback is important to us as a group. If you have any thoughts, queries or suggestions regarding Leicestershire Young Archaeologist’s Club please feel free to contact us or speak to one of the LYAC team at our next session where we will be available at the end of the session if you would like to discuss anything.
Leicestershire Young Archaeologists' Club 