Luton man set to receive British Citizen Award for dedication to archaeology education

A man from Luton is set to receive a prestigious ‘People’s Honour’ award in the Houses of Parliament in recognition of his dedication to educating people about archaeology.

Mark Milligan will travel to the Palace of Westminster on June 29 to be given his British Citizen Award (BCA). Mark created HeritageDaily as a blog in 2011. Since then, it has become one of the biggest platforms dedicated to archaeology, anthropology, and palaeontology. His lifelong passion for archaeology has allowed him to share his knowledge through his voluntary editorial and journalistic work. His work has reached millions of people monthly.

Mark said: ”Receiving the British Citizen’s Award in education (BCAe) at the Palace of Westminster is truly an honour and I am humbled to be recognised among such accomplished individuals.

“Being recognised for supporting such an important discipline that documents and protects our past is absolutely amazing.”

For Mark, archaeology has been a passion of his since he was a child and has had a positive impact on his life and career. As well as working full time for an outdoor living wholesaler, Mark is dyslexic and wanted to share his interests by creating a free platform for others to learn and share.

His work has been used academic journals and the likes of Cambridge University Press, New York University, and Cornell University have referenced HeritageDaily’s news.

Stephanie Wood, from BCA partner One Stop congratulated the honourees. She said: “This year’s medalists have reminded us of how many amazing people are supporting our communities,

especially during such a challenging time.