BALH Annual Awards Recipients 2021

Anne Andrews 1941-2020, Staffordshire

Anne Andrews 1941-2020, Staffordshire

Dr Anne Andrews was a diligent and thorough researcher, a tireless heritage campaigner and an enthusiastic speaker and supporter of local history. She was an active member of many groups, local (Tixall and Ingestre Local History Society), regional (Staffordshire Industrial History Society) and national (the Association for industrial Archaeology, all organisations she enthusiastically promoted at events such as history fairs. She was the author of a four-volume history of the village of Tixall; engaged with the HS2 Heritage and Archaeology Group; and campaigned for the restoration of the Orangery at Ingestre. Anne shared her many abilities generously and widely, and is greatly missed.

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Stanley Aspinall, Lancashire

Stanley Aspinall, Lancashire

Stanley Aspinall is an active member of the Duddon Valley Local History Group, based in Broughton-in-Furness on the edge of the Lake District National Park. He had developed a heritage walk in the town, with accompanying booklet, and presentations. When the pandemic ended ‘live’ activities, Stan began posting a daily archive photo on the Broughton Facebook page, which proved to be a phenomenal success, many responses coming from people who had previously not shown an interest in local history. One post received over 200 ‘comments’. New information on the area has now become a book, written by Stan, funded by the society, and available on their website.

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Jeffery Childs, Glamorgan

Jeffery Childs, Glamorgan

Jeffery Childs was a founder member, and subsequently office holder of Roath Local History Society. He has given many lectures, contributed to the society’s newsletter and authored books on behalf of the group. He is also involved with other organisations in the region including the South Wales Record Society, the Swansea Valley History Society, and the Glamorgan History Society. Even before his retirement, Jeffery undertook further study and gained an MA from Cardiff University in 1984. His meticulous research skills are enthusiastically and willing shared, and he is well known in the area for his knowledge and commitment to local history.

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Jacqueline Cooper, Essex

Jacqueline Cooper, Essex

Jacqueline Cooper has devoted her time and energy to the history of Clavering, and throughout Uttlesford. The results have enriched the lives of local people by connecting them to each other and to their shared heritage. Among the numerous groups she is involved with are Clavering Landscape History Group, Clavering Oral History Project, Records of Uttlesford History. Jacky has organised lecture series, exhibitions, publications, primary school ‘Archaeology Days’ and much more. She has spent four decades discovering and promoting local history with tireless enthusiasm. Her efforts have been sustained, and particularly valuable, through lockdowns.

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Malcolm Graham, Oxfordshire

Malcolm Graham, Oxfordshire

Since his retirement Dr Malcom Graham has been promoting public interest in Oxfordshire’s history as a researcher, author, lecturer, broadcaster and advisor. He has an impressive list of publications to his name, and has continued the tradition of topographical recording which has become a vast publicly accessible digitised photo archive of the area. His recent personal research has been into the development of modern Oxford. Professionally, he has ignited a love of local history in generations of people and has continued to inspire and enable others to discover its delights. Malcom wears his immense knowledge very lightly and is unfailingly generous with this expertise.

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Alan Green, Sussex

Alan Green, Sussex

Alan Green is a widely-acknowledged expert on the history of Chichester, though his personal love is for the Georgian period. He has been consulted by government, the media, education and members of the public, and willingly shares his expertise as well as his ephemera collection. Alan is chair of the Chichester Conservation Area Advisory Committee, and office holder in Chichester Local History Society, and Sussex Industrial Archaeology Society. He is the author of eight books and numerous articles, and launched, with the late Prof Paul Foster and the University of Chichester, a series of monographs ‘The New Chichester Papers’ to publish recent research.

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Brian Hastings, Tyne & Wear

Brian Hastings, Tyne & Wear

Brian Hastings has always been passionate about the history of his home village of Whitburn, and his detailed research dates from the 1970s when he recorded interviews with elderly residents to preserve their memories. He is chair of the Whitburn Village Heritage Society, and has written and published on a variety of topics, most recently a volume on the fishing industry in the area. He shares his knowledge both locally and further afield. Brain’s skills have also raised funds for the community: his book ‘The History of Football in Whitburn’ was sold to support local junior teams, and he has promoted music events as fundraisers for the village history group.

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Jennifer Hirsh, Cambridgeshire

Jennifer Hirsh, Cambridgeshire

Jennifer Hirsh has been the driving force of the Abington History Group, researching, recording and sharing the history of the villages of Great and Little Abington. She established a substantial image and map library, organised collecting oral histories from elderly residents, and is the inspiration behind many projects and resulting publications, including on WW2, the history of the Land Settlement Association, and Abington Pottery. Through exhibitions, open days and other events Jennifer has always been keen to engage residents and the local school, ensuring continued active involvement and interest in the history of the villages.

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Dood Pearce, Gloucestershire

Dood Pearce, Gloucestershire

Dood Pearce was a founding member of Newent Local History Society, served as Treasurer, and has been Chairman for the last 10 years. He has been the inspiration and leader of many historical activities in the town, encouraging others to get involved. This has included collecting memories from older residents, researching the names on the war memorial, transcribing wills associated with Newent held at TNA, and leading a project to refurbish the ancient Market House and convert it to a Heritage Centre. Dood takes responsibility for the society’s collection of documents and photographs, responds to queries arriving via their website, and has successfully maintained interest during the lockdown.

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Roger Polhill, Norfolk

Roger Polhill, Norfolk

Dr Roger Polhill has been at the heart of Aylsham’s local history for many years. He is a studious and accurate researcher, with an infectious enthusiasm for the subject. His skills have developed projects and publications for the society, and encouraged increasing numbers of other people to become involved. At the same time his personal contributions have been substantial, editing the society’s journal, indexing, and stepping in as volunteer manager of the town’s archive. He has co-authored Sail and Storm on Aylsham’s Navigation history, and designed and saw through production A New History of Aylsham’s Public Houses. Much of the history of the town would be lost without his contributions.

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Bernard Taylor 1948-2020, Birmingham

Bernard Taylor 1948-2020, Birmingham

Bernard Taylor shared his passion and enthusiasm for local history with the wider community. He was a proud Smethwickian, but after moving to Quinton he realised that there too was much history to be told. In 1999 he set up Quinton Local History Society, now thriving with over 250 members and serving as a place of friendship and community spirit, with its popular website, meetings, classes and visits. Bernard wrote the quarterly Quinton Oracle and published several books about the village. He set up a trust for Quinton Old Burial Ground to restore the site, and created the website quintonatwar.org.uk. His determination had a real and lasting impact; he had much more to do and is hugely missed.

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Ann Vernau, Hertfordshire

Ann Vernau, Hertfordshire

Ann Vernau has been invaluable to both the Rickmansworth Historical Society and Three Rivers Museum for over 20 years. Currently Secretary of both, she is responsible for their organisation, arranging meetings, compliance with regulations and procedures, giving advice to researchers and much more. For the TRM Trust she prepared and presented the education programme, including work experience placements, and runs the website. Ann is dedicated, conscientious and helpful; much of what she does is behind the scenes though no less valuable for that. She has made a huge contribution to the preservation and presentation of local history in the Rickmansworth area.

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This attractively-produced, lavishly illustrated Newsletter/Journal provides local history and local information. It clearly has a dedicated editorial team and keen contributors since it is published every two months with 36 (or more) pages.

Following an editorial, it regularly includes memories of, or by, former residents; an article originally published several decades earlier, which allows the reader to judge how things have changed (or not); an illustrated study of local buildings, institutions or landscape features; topical comments on current events; letters or comments from readers; news from the local museum; the society’s forthcoming events; and publications by the society.

The ‘glossy’ nature of the publication is paid for by the numerous advertisements for local businesses (indeed there is an advertising person on the editorial team) but this also indicates that many local people are involved, and therefore interested, in the contents of this excellent and informative publication.

Send & Ripley History Society

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Scottish Local History

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Durham County Local History Society

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Richmond History

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Acton Historian

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West Sussex History

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Suffolk Review

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Brentford & Chiswick Local History

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Wandsworth Historian

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Saffron Walden Historical Journal

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Newdigate Local History Society

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