Derek McLennan and his partner Sharon McKee, finders of the Galloway Viking treasure hoard unearthed last year, have not been sitting idle since they discovered Scotland’s greatest ever treasure. The duo have formed a not for profit company aptly named “Beyond The Beep” and are currently piloting an outdoor educational programme for Scottish schools, teaching children about responsible metal detecting and discovering history. The company currently has two pilot programmes up and running in the Dumfries and Galloway region of Scotland, and it is hoped to expand this service throughout Scotland and the UK in the future.

Keith Walker, Outdoor learning STEM coordinator for Education Services Curricula and school improvement team, Dumfries and Galloway Council has been instrumental in helping to coordinate the initiative with Beyond The Beep. Sharon commented “Keith has helped enormously, not only with his enthusiasm for the programme and passion for education, but with a huge amount of organisation on behalf of the Dumfries and Galloway council.”

The initial pilot programmes consists of a half day per week running over a six week period and is aimed at both primary and secondary schools. Pupils who embark on the course will learn how to metal detect responsibly, from switching on a machine to digging a proper hole, how to retrieve their find and finally how to properly research its history. The course also contains information on how to become involved in the hobby safely, where and where not to metal detect, and the correct procedure for dealing with any important finds they discover.

“The general concept is to bring a fresh, new and cost effective means of Outdoor Education to the Scottish educational system. Metal detecting is a fantastic educational tool which should be recognised and embraced for the benefits it can bring to learning outdoors,” stated Sharon McKee, who was formally involved in secondary education as an Acting Principle Teacher of English.

Derek McLennan explained why they are passionate about the new course “Metal detecting, quite rightly, can receive some criticism when heritage crime is involved, and we feel the only way to tackle this is through education of future generations. The national organisations such as Historic Scotland and the Treasure Trove Unit do a fantastic job, and we want to do our part. I’m pleased to say that both Historic Scotland and the Treasure Trove Unit are aware of the pilot programmes and have offered support and expressed keen interest in how the course develops.”

Mr. McLennan was highly praised for his responsible actions when the Viking Treasure was unearthed. When he initially discovered the treasure he did not dig it out himself, he immediately contacted the Scottish Treasure Trove unit in Edinburgh. Dumfries and Galloway Archaeologist, Andrew Nicolson, was then despatched and fully excavated and recorded the historic treasure.

Minelab International, the largest metal detecting manufacturer, have donated equipment for the pilot courses. Sharon explains, “Minelab fully embrace the whole concept of responsible metal detecting, and completely understand how important it is for the hobby detectorists who use their machines, to do so in the correct and proper manner. They encourage and promote responsible detecting whenever they can and are actively investing in it for the future.”

McLennan continued, “The pupils love it and after some initial nervousness, they become fully engaged with the activity. It is our wish to bring history alive and to ignite a flame and a passion for it in today’s young students, who will be the archaeologists and detectorists of the future. Even if they do not take up the hobby in the years to come, we are sure they will remember their time metal detecting and the discoveries they made in their local area.”

The work that Beyond The Beep has undertaken is not restricted to schools, and the company recently started a parallel project with the Combat Stress veterans charity. This project operates on the same basis as the school projects, but is aimed at a more adult audience. The veterans are being taught about responsible metal detecting and are taken out detecting once every two weeks. McLennan explains “The mental health benefits of detecting are widely recognised within the detecting community. It is a great hobby to help you unwind and relax, focussing solely on your next discovery. Every detecting adventure we go on, leads to a discovery, perhaps not of the magnitude of the Viking treasure, but interesting in its own right. The guys we have taken out quickly become immersed in it and obviously have the same hopes and anticipation of a historically significant discovery as I still have – the feeling never leaves you!”

In the short time that it has been operating, Beyond The Beep has also been recognised by the UK’s National Council for Metal Detecting (NCMD). The company has been given formal affiliate member status of the council, due to their efforts to promote and encourage responsible metal detecting.

Both Derek and Sharon through their company Beyond The Beep hope that they can bring the joy and excitement that metal detecting brings to more schools throughout Scotland and what does the finder of a Viking treasure have to say “Finding the Viking hoard was incredibly exciting as you can imagine, but I get the same buzz, even now, every time I go detecting. Being able to discover, touch, understand and share our history, and perhaps if I’m lucky again, help uncover it for our nation. This is what drives me to go out and search – even in horizontal rain!” 

About Beyond The Beep

Beyond The Beep, based in Ayrshire, has a vision of taking detecting beyond the ordinary and what is often described as “treasure hunting,” because to us, detecting has so much more to offer. Beyond the Beep’s intention is to raise the profile of responsible metal detecting, participate in archaeological projects and promote detecting as an invaluable asset which contributes towards preserving and protecting our heritage. In addition, they have plans to use Beyond the Beep for Outdoor Education and charitable causes.

Derek McLennan has extensive experience in a variety of industries, acting as Managing Director for several computer games companies and energy companies. He has also sat on the board of a public company and prior to retirement he was the Global Vice President of an international energy group which involved working and living all over the world.

Sharon McKee has a degree in English and Classical Civilisation from the University of Glasgow and a PGCE in Secondary Education where she has taught in a large English department for the last ten years and is currently GTCS registered.

Derek and Sharon have a passion for research, anything of historical interest and without doubt, an obsession for metal detecting. Before the discovery of the Viking hoard, Derek and Sharon already had significant success in detecting as part of an informal group where they have been involved with the recovery of many hoards since December 2013. Between them they have seven years detecting experience and are also successful detectorists in their own right, with experience of working with public bodies such as the Church of Scotland, Treasure Trove and Historic Scotland. Both Derek and Sharon are registered and insured with NCMD (National Council of Metal Detecting).

Telephone: 07977 557383 or 07891 600728

Email: beyondthebeep@gmail.com

Website: www.beyondthebeep.com or www.facebook.com/beyondthebeep