How one CAP supporter unexpectedly discovered a Roman villa, and what that’s got to do with us.
Hi Jim! Firstly, tell us a bit about yourself…
My name is Jim, I’m married to my wife, Freya, and we have two daughters, Grace and Lydie. Since my discovery (more on that in a minute), I’d describe myself as a Roman history fanatic – here I am (pictured above) dragging my family to Athens to see some ‘old stuff’ earlier this year!
Can you tell us a bit about what you discovered?
I accidentally discovered a Roman villa in the middle of the Covid lockdown. I didn’t realise at the time how God would use it as an opportunity to help people in poverty, but I knew he’d orchestrated the discovery because, without a very specific combination of factors, I’d never have found it.
There was a flood, some angry bees, and Covid – which I know sounds like something out of Exodus! Some things are just more than coincidences and I believe God put this in front of me.
It was June 2020. My family and I met in a nearby field to do some exercise, as it was the only way we were allowed to get together at that time in the pandemic. We chose that field specifically as it has a river, and my daughters enjoy playing there.
On the way down to the river, we were attacked by a swarm of angry bees, and a few of us got stung, so on the way back we decided to take a detour. We ended up walking through a particularly wet part of the field that had flooded more than usual, leaving areas where crops hadn’t grown.
There, I stumbled across some pottery, as well as some oyster shells! Wondering if there was more to be found, I did some research, and discovered that the farmer’s plough would often break when plowing this field. I realised there must be something underneath.
August came around and all the wheat had been harvested. I was curious to see what else we could find – and we had the time, as it was still lockdown – so I began digging up the land. We carried on digging until we found a huge, well-preserved mosaic.
At this point, we realised this was turning into quite a significant discovery, so had the experts come and take over, who kept finding more and more things throughout 2021 and 2022.
Overall, it’s believed that what we discovered is actually a Roman villa – or one of the earliest luxury barn conversions.
What opportunities has this discovery opened up?
This whole saga has opened up so many opportunities, none of which would have come about if a single thing was different that day in June 2020.
Firstly, on a personal note, I’ve discovered an almost fanatical interest in Roman history (my children and wife despair!), and it’s been a really good distraction from the stress of working life. It’s been so much fun.
This find has actually been described as the most important British mosaic found in the last 100 years.
The imagery is unique, and tells some of the story of the Trojan War from Ancient Greece; specifically the battle between Hector and Achilles – a story we still hear about today.
This means there’s been a lot of interest in it, which has opened up so many opportunities to speak about my discovery – and a chance for me to make a few quid for CAP at the same time! I’ve even written and published a book. The whole experience has been a thrill and I’ve loved every minute.
You mention doing talks and raising money for CAP. How has that come about?
It all started with one talk at a pub, and has grown from there! Now I get invited to do lots of talks about how I discovered the mosaic, the excitement around the whole adventure and some detail about the archaeology and mosaic imagery itself.
I don’t even have to arrange the talks; people just phone me and tell me where and when to turn up! Over the last four years I’ve averaged about one talk per month.
When I do these talks, I ask for donations to CAP, and the majority of times I get some. I really enjoy speaking and every time I do it, I think about the whole adventure in new ways.
I’m so pleased to be able to use my passion to help those in poverty across the UK.
There are so many amazing charities out there. What made you choose to support CAP in particular?
I first came across CAP a little over 10 years ago, when someone came to speak at my church. Immediately, I could see the need for CAP’s services, and I really like the fact that it allows churches to have a local impact.
There are a lot of charities today that support people very far away, which is fantastic, but it’s important to me to help the people in our own communities just as much.
I also have a personal understanding of the impact of debt through a friend of mine. From the outside, he has a good job and a ‘normal’ life, but he really suffered from the burden of a mountain of debt. It had a severe mental impact on him, and the practical support local churches offer is impressive, supporting people to get out of that dark place and into a much better place, financially and emotionally.
Delivering this practical help through a Christian lens really helps people in their time of need – and it’s what Jesus would have done.
Finally, what would you say to someone who would like to raise money for CAP, but doesn’t know where to start?
I would strongly encourage them to talk to their local CAP service and find out how they can get involved. The great thing about the support being local is that you can meet people face to face, you can put your passions and skills into action, and the local team will do everything they can to help, too.
