Historian David Starkey is backing a campaign to save the Staffordshire Hoard for the West Midlands. The campaign is co-ordinated by London-based charity The Art Fund.

The highly respected television academic will officially launch a £3.3million appeal at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery on Wednesday to keep the hoard in the region where it was found.

The campaign will attempt to raise the required amount so that the treasure – a collection of precious Anglo-Saxon items discovered in a farmer’s field near Lichfield – can be displayed in museums in Birmingham and Stoke.

Among the items in the collection are weaponry, strips and crosses dating back to the 7th Century.

Lizzie Bloom, of the charity, said: “The treasure was valued in November and the funds must now be raised by April 17 to ensure the treasure stays in the West Midlands where it will provide enormous insight into the lives of the Anglo-Saxon people.”

She added that The Art Fund had promised to announce an initial grant towards saving the awe-inspiring find at the launch.

The Hoard, which includes more than 1,500 items made of gold, silver and precious stones, was discovered by Terry Herbert in a field near Lichfield on July 5. It is valued at £3.285m.

Mr Herbert and Fred Johnson, who owned the farm near Brownhills where the treasure was discovered, have since been given half each of the total value as a reward by the Crown.

The Art Fund is leading the campaign to buy the treasure for Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery and the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery in Stoke.

It is working in partnership with the councils of Birmingham, Lichfield, Staffordshire, Stoke and Tamworth as well as Advantage West Midlands and Staffordshire University.