Chance to see the Staffordshire Hoard

Members of the public are being encouraged to snap up tickets for the Staffordshire Hoard on Tour at Shire Hall gallery in Stafford next month.

The July 2 event will feature a selection of items from the largest collection of Anglo-Saxon gold and silver metalwork ever found – it was buried in Staffordshire countryside back in the seventh century and contains a wealth of warlike material and other mystery objects.

This amazing archaeological discovery has already attracted worldwide attention but the touring exhibition contains never-before-seen items.

The first stop for the Hoard is the Shire Hall Gallery, Stafford, from July 2 to 24 where the exhibition will run from 9.30am to 5pm seven days a week. Entry is free but pre-booking essential.

There are also opportunities to see the Hoard in other parts of the county throughout the summer. The tour moves on to Lichfield Cathedral from July 30 to August 21 and then Tamworth Castle from August 27 to September 18.

More than 1,500 items of Anglo-Saxon treasure were found in a field at Hammerwich, near Lichfield, in July 2009 by metal detectorist Terry Herbert. He and landowner

Fred Johnson shared £3.3 million after the hoard was valued and bought for the nation following an Art Fund-led appeal.