Sanctuary wrote:
I'd like to answer as suspect certain others will not get drawn. Firstly, I did enjoy the series, particularly the first series when it was tucked away late in the schedules, a hidden gem of a programme. It took off with the second series and thus became a bit more contentious.
Secondly, I am not passionately opposed to the past-time of metal-detectoring if it is undertaken responsibly, with permissions and the understanding that anything that looks important is reported to PAS. I am uneasy about anything seen to promote the 'treasure-hunting' aspect of it. I have learnt a lot from people like Nigel Swift and his colleagues at Heritage Action. Having said that, there was a time we were antagonist towards each other - back in the days when I was associated with the now defunct Avebury Forum (I'll be the first to say some of its members were hot heads, whilst others took what it had to offer and applied that knowledge to their own projects). I've long since changed my mind about Heritage Action/Journal and came to see it as an ethical, dedicated group of like-minded people who work tirelessly to protect our heritage. If they say metal detectoring is ethically ambiguous then I go along with that.
