Race against time to help keep treasure in the city

Seven pieces of jewellery dating from the seventh to 11th centuries were discovered by a treasure hunter using his metal detector on a stretch of local farmland in 2009.

It is the most significant find of Anglo-Saxon jewellery ever discovered in the Leeds area and now heritage chiefs have launched a campaign to buy the pieces for the city.

The treasure will be on loan at Leeds City Museum from November 3-15 but campaigners need to raise £170,000 before November 15 to secure the find for the people of Leeds.

The Friends of Leeds City Museums and The Leeds Philosophical and Literary Society have launched a campaign to try to raise the cash or the items will be sold at auction and could go to a private collector.

Katherine Baxter, Leeds City Council curator of archaeology, said: “The acquisition of these finds will allow exciting new stories to be told about the Leeds area and its early medieval development in a national and international context.”

Cash has already been secured but more support is needed. To find out more or to make a donation visit the Friends of Leeds City Museums website at www.friendsofleedscitymuseums.org