Ok, so here we are, a week or so into the New Year of the standard calendar. Resolutions have been made, and doubtless broken. You’ve already bowed to the nicotine cravings, been to the pub (more than once!) and given up on the gym (after just two visits!). You’ve lost a pound or so since the Christmas binge, but fully expect the weight to rise (or at least stabilise) again before the end of the month. So here are some suggestions for 2013 that should be relatively easy to achieve:

Visit new sites

Resolve to visit at least one new archaeology/heritage site every month through the year. This will have the benefits, if you select the right sites, of a bit of exercise, fresh air, education and helping to conserve our heritage, either by paying entrance fees to visit a site (English Heritage, National Trust etc) or by generally clearing up, taking litter away etc when you’re there.

Join an Archaeological Society

Last year we highlighted, on a regional basis, many societies throughout England. Many of these are relatively inexpensive to join, and can provide a social atmosphere whilst learning about archaeology, whether as part of a Community Group doing excavations, surveys etc. or as part of a regular meet attending lectures and talks.

Take a course

Universities and Evening Classes are no longer the only way to extend the educational experience beyond your schooldays. A couple of us here at Heritage Action have signed up to Coursera  who are providing an online learning course entitled “Archaeology’s Dirty Little Secrets” starting in June, which asks and answers a series of questions about the role and practice of archaeology in the world today. The course is free, and the range of online learning is expanding on an almost daily basis.

Attend a Conference

Whilst many Archaeological Conferences are aimed squarely at the professional or academia markets (and priced accordingly!), there are still a selection to choose from aimed more at the ‘common man’ with little/no qualifications, but with an interest in the subject. Personally, I’ll be attending the two day Current Archaeology Live conference in London in March.

Involve the family

The CBA’s Festival of Archaeology this year is scheduled for the second two weeks of July (13th-28th) and includes hundreds of events around the country, for all ages. Immerse the kids in living like a Roman, take them round a museum, visit a Bronze Age roundhouse, and more!

Contribute to the Heritage Journal

We’re always looking for articles for the Journal, so why not resolve to submit a story or two throughout the year? You can write about your experience at a particular site or event that you’ve visited, an aspect of archaeology/heritage protection that inspires/annoys you, local efforts in your community to boost awareness of our heritage… As Arthur Daley would say, “The world’s your lobster, my son!”

Those are our ideas, why not let us know in the comments what your Heritage Resolutions are this year?