STORM Gathers in Mellor!

Mellor Archaeological Trust (MAT) is the lead organisation in the UK involved in a Europe wide initiative to reduce the impact of climate change, natural hazards and human actions on heritage. The project, called STORM (Safeguarding Cultural Heritage through Technical and Organisational Resources Management), involves the use of predictive models and non-destructive methods of survey and diagnosis to predict environmental changes and to reveal the threats and conditions that may damage our cultural heritage sites. The budget for the project is 7.2 million Euros. It brings together partners from Italy, Portugal, Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom.

The one UK site is at Mellor, and will be managed by Mellor Archaeological Trust. Salford University and a Manchester based software company SPARTA complete the UK team. Historic England and Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council are UK stakeholders. The UK site comprises of the Iron Age Ditch at the Old Vicarage, the bronze age burial ground on Shaw Cairn and Mellor Mill in the Goyt Valley.

SPARTA are working closely with MAT and Salford University to produce information on a range of environmental issues which will assist in the management and preservation of our heritage sites.
The chair of Mellor Archaeological Trust has said: ‘The Trust is delighted to be involved in the STORM project. The project means that we will be able to invest in ‘state of the art’ technology and expertise to assess the effect of climate change on the sites we are charged with caring for. By the end of the project we expect to have meaningful sets of data that will help us protect our heritage for future generations to enjoy. This project takes Mellor and the story of our rich offering of local history out on to The European stage rubbing shoulders with destinations which are designated World Heritage Sites’.
Sensors have been installed on the Mellor UK pilot sites. This includes Weather Stations, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (Drones), a laser scanner with a multispectral camera and an environmental sensing suite of equipment. The weather station combines a rain collector, temperature, humidity sensors and an anemometer.

A system is being created to allow the sensors to monitor the sites and send real-time data to a server. This will give access to all relevant information and will provide an alert mechanism to the site managers and/or key intervention stakeholders via a mobile app.
Twenty five STORM partners, from across Europe gathered, on the 15th and 16th December 2016, at Roman Lakes and Salford University to share input and ideas. The next project meeting, March 2017, will be in Turkey if the political climate allows.

If you are interested in this project either at a professional or amateur level or just curious and would like further information about how to get involved or just be kept informed please contact Bob Humphrey-Taylor at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

STORM website