British Association For Local History (BALH)

The British Association for Local History (BALH) is the national charity which promotes local history and serves local historians in Great Britain. The BALH was formed in 1982 but can trace its origins back to the National Council for Social Service (NCSS) and its sub-committee the Standing Conference for Local history (SCLH), which was formed in 1948.

The Association encourages interest and enthusiasm for local history amongst learners of all ages and is dedicated to sharing and promoting best practice, knowledge and skills. This is achieved through BALH’s publications The Local Historian and Local History News, and various handbooks and pamphlets on local history. Each year the BALH also offers the Medieval and Early Modern Essay prize which encourages new writing and research local history topics pre-1650 and Personal Achievement Awards which publicly honour those local historians who have made significant voluntary contributions to the field.

The BALH has an expanding digital engagement programme that includes Ten-Minute Talks videos, the Local History Matters podcast, the Local History Hour lecture series and ‘How To’ webinars.

Members of BALH not only become a part of a large group of enthusiastic historians but will receive their publications and discounts on books and events. Society members gain access to a dedicated insurance scheme and the support of being part of an umbrella organisation. Societies also receive help and support from our experts and a vehicle to promote themselves and their events. To find out more information about membership, please visit https://www.balh.org.uk/join.

The Pharos course, Getting Started with Local History, was developed in association with BALH. Students who enrol on the course will be entitled to a discount on their first year’s membership of BALH. Current BALH (individual) members are entitled to a discount on the Pharos course (see the BALH website).