The Association of Local Government Archaeological Officers (ALGAO) provides a forum representing archaeologists working for local authorities and national parks throughout the UK. Its members are professional archaeologists employed by local authorities to provide advice on archaeological conservation and management.
The head page photograph in this issue of Heritage Update is kindly provided by the Heritage Team Leader of Gloucestershire County Council, Toby Catchpole. It pictures a post-medieval vessel located on the foreshore of the Severn Estuary, to the south of Lydney Harbour, Glos. Over twenty vessels were hulked in the 1950s and 60s to help protect the harbour walls from erosion. The photo was taken by Gloucestershire County Council Archaeology Service during the Severn Estuary Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey funded by English Heritage (as was). Further information can be found on the website of the group dedicated to studying the vessels at Lydney and the larger assemblage of hulks on the opposite bank at Purton.