Lost and Found

Share the stories of objects and places that were lost or forgotten for tens, hundreds or even thousands of years until YOU found them.

 

You don’t need to travel the world or be a professional archaeologist to make exciting discoveries… there are opportunities everywhere!

 

Lost and Found invites you to share the stories behind things that you have found; objects or places that were lost, forgotten or hidden for tens, hundreds or even thousands of years until YOU discovered them.

It could be anything from an old newspaper once hidden under a floorboard, a tin of photos found in a loft, the hidden remains of a ruined building you once stumbled across, or a Victorian penny dug up from the garden.

We’d love to hear about your found object – how did you discover it? What do you think its story could be? And what does it mean to you?

 

You can share your story however you want – it could be a short written piece, an audio clip of some spoken word poetry, a short film, or a combination of all three.  You can be as creative (or non-creative) as you’d like!

You’ll need to use our VideoAsk platform to share your story. Have a look at the how-to steps below and check out an example story shared by Grace, one of our Shout Out Loud Young Producers, for some inspiration.

Written pieces should be no more than 150 words and video/audio clips should be up to 90 seconds long.

We’ll be closing entries on 1 November 2020. After that, we’ll be creating a showcase of all the objects and stories you’ve sent to us, sharing why they are important to you. Please make sure you’re happy with your work being shared on our website and social media channels by reading the Lost and Found GDPR and media consent statement.

We can’t wait to see your lost and forgotten objects –  and hear your stories!

How to take part

  • Find something you want to tell us about! It could be something you discovered on the beach, on an archaeological dig or in your grandparents’ cupboards: anything that you’ve found that has some personal meaning to you.
  • We’re using some software called VideoAsk to capture your stories. You’ll be able to access the link on our social media and at the bottom of this page.
  • When you open the link, you’ll see Sam, one of our Shout Out Loud Young Producers, asking you a question about your object and then you can respond with your story as a video, an audio clip or in writing. If you don’t want to show your face on a video, you can record the item you’re describing or where it was found, so long as you can access this safely.
  • VideoAsk is set up for recording your submissions live but if you prefer to upload your own pre-recorded video, click on the ‘Video’ option and look for the ‘Upload’ icon.
  • Sam will ask you a series of questions as prompts for you to tell us all about your found object. If you feel like you’ve already answered his question, or have nothing more to add, you can skip it by writing ‘skip’ in the text response option.
  • After the deadline on 1 November, we’ll be using your videos, audio clips and text to create a showcase of all the things you’ve found and their stories, so please make sure you are happy with what you send us being shared on our website and social media channels. Have a look at the GDPR statement above for further information.
Take me to the Video Ask!