A Swindon couple who have made extraordinary discoveries at a quarry site just north of the town, which featured in an Attenborough documentary, are taking part in a three-week dig.

The site at Cerney Wick Quarry inspired the BBC One documentary Attenborough and the Mammoth Graveyard after archaeologists found the remains of five animals in 2019 and 2021, dating to around 210–220,000 years old.

In the first week of the Mammoth Dig, starting on July 15, amateur palaeontologists Sally and Dr Neville Hollingworth, from Moredon, found a Neanderthal hand axe, mammoth tooth, rib, pelvic bone and skull fragments, as well as a nautilus and a shark tooth.

Project lead Sally Hollingworth said: “We are so excited to be back on the site which has previously yielded remains of at least five Ice Age Mammoths and a number of stone tools made by Neanderthals. From day one of this dig we’ve already made some amazing discoveries. Who knows what we might find for the rest of the dig!”

“We’ve been overwhelmed with the enthusiasm and hard work the small army of unpaid volunteers has shown, plus the exceptional support from Hills Quarry Products, who have facilitated and supported this and the two previous digs. The site is not open to members of the public - but look out for updates on the dig via social media using our hashtag #TuskForce.”

The dig will close on August 5 and more than 100 student volunteers from 18 universities will be assisting the excavation work.

It is rare for a site to be so well-preserved and to find so many fossils in one area, but the team hope to make more discoveries as they continue digging, to address questions about the interactions between mammals and Neanderthals.

In 2021, Sir David Attenborough visited the Hollingworths’ home for a chat and cuppa after the extraordinary discovery of the pre-Ice Age steppe mammoth bones and Neanderthal flint axe, which were featured in his documentary.

Neville also found a mammoth skull, the second to ever be found in Britain, at Cotswold Water Park in 2004.

In 2022, he told the Adver: “Anyone can find this – most of the biggest discoveries have been made by amateurs, people interested in it who just stumble on them.

“Swindon is one of the best places in the country for finding fossils.”