Volunteers offer to get their hands dirty

Employees from the Portsmouth office of gas network company SGN went over to Butser Ancient Farm to help with the farm’s new Danebury Roundhouse and the renovation of the Roman villa.

Based in Waterlooville, the farm is a world-renowned hub for archaeological research, with the aim of understanding how the people of ancient Britain lived.

Team manager Ann Henderson said: ‘SGN gives everyone who works for the company one day each year on its own time to help out in their local community, and when I suggested to the rest of my team about approaching the farm, there were some keen volunteers.

‘Our normal day job involves sitting in the office at a computer, so this was a complete contrast.

‘At one point I even found myself helping to round up a baby goat who had managed to escape from his pen.

‘We felt a tremendous sense of achievement at the end of the two days.