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Some of the items which make up The Staffordshire Hoard. Pic: Portable Antiquities Scheme
A campaign to keen the Staffordshire Hoard in the Midlands has been boosted after a business donated £195,000 of advertising. Birmingham billboard poster owner, Signature Outdoor, has made the gesture to support the fundraising effort currently underway to bring the Anglo Saxon Hoard – which was unearthed near Lichfield – back to the region. The first of three advertising campaigns has been put up and will last for two weeks on high profile sites at the M6, New Street Station and Birmingham Centre. The two-week campaign is worth as much as £65,000 and Signature Outdoor has also offered to repeat the campaign at the end of March and end of April. Birmingham City Councillor Martin Mullaney, Cabinet Member for Leisure Sport and Culture, said:
“This is yet another example of the Midlands pulling together to bring the Hoard back to the region and I’m absolutely delighted that Signature Outdoor has been so generous in backing our campaign. “We’ve had national support from leading politicians, academics and celebrities, which has been amazing. But the support closer to home is equally important. This treasure will hugely benefit the region and organisations and individuals across the Midlands clearly appreciate that.”
Steve George, Signature Outdoor Media said:
“We have donated the sites on the M6, the Centre of Birmingham including New Street Station that will be carrying the message Save the Hoard giving the appeal the level of exposure that many top brands would get from such a campaign.  Over a million vehicles will see the M6 sites alone. “We approached Birmingham City Council with an offer barely a week ago and the whole campaign from artwork through to the site being erected has been put together in a short period of time demonstrating a real will to keep the Hoard in the region.”
Over the next 13 weeks events and activities will be taking place throughout the West Midlands to raise funds to keep the Staffordshire Hoard in the region. More than 80 of the most significant artefacts from the Hoard, including items never seen before, will be on display at the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent between February 13 and March 7. Anyone wanting to donate to the fund can do so:
  • via the official campaign website www.artfund.org/hoard
  • by telephone on 0844 415 4004
  • by cheque sent to The Art Fund, Freepost LON 17186, PO BOX 2003, Kirkcaldy, KY2 6BR.

Ross

Founder of Lichfield Live and editor of the site.