MEET THE TEAM

Local History Hub is powered by a committed team of educators, strategists, and heritage specialists working together to support schools in delivering rich, place-based history. Our Operations Board leads the day-to-day running of the organisation driving forward our mission, forming partnerships, and shaping national delivery. Alongside them, our Strategic Board of Non-Executive Directors provides independent oversight, challenge, and guidance.

Supporting both teams is a growing network of Heritage Advisors, made up of two key groups:

  • Our Regional Heritage Advisors, who bring local knowledge and insight to school partnerships and community engagement across the UK

  • And our National Heritage Advisors, senior sector figures who guide strategy, promote inclusive narratives, and help shape our presence across the nations of the UK.

Together, these teams ensure Local History Hub remains rooted in classroom practice, informed by community voices, and ambitious in its vision for local history education nationwide.

About Our Team

Operational Board

  • A man with glasses, a beard, and a shaved head smiling in front of a stone wall.

    Gareth Clayton

    DIRECTOR OF STRATEGY

    Gareth is an experienced Grants Director with a decade of work across arts, culture, heritage, and education. He has managed multi-million-pound funding portfolios and supported numerous organisations in shaping their strategies through Theory of Change and developmental practice. Gareth brings a strategic eye to the work of Local History Hub, with a particular interest in how learning about local history can foster a deeper sense of place and community.

  • Black and white photo of a young man in a suit smiling, with a tie and a boutonnière, sitting in a social setting. A mirror reflects other people in the background.

    Matthew Harper-Duffy

    FOUNDER & DIRECTOR

    Matthew is a primary teacher with over ten years of classroom experience and a strong belief in the power of local history to build belonging and curiosity. He founded Local History Hub in 2024 to bridge the gap between schools and heritage, creating a national, teacher-led network rooted in place, community, and inclusive storytelling. Alongside teaching, he leads the development of Hubs across the UK, ensuring the work remains practical, meaningful, and grounded in the realities of school life.

  • A woman with shoulder-length red hair, wearing a black top, smiling in a restaurant with wood-paneled walls and yellow upholstered seating.

    Sarah Hartsmith

    DIRECTOR OF CURRICULUM DESIGN

    Sarah is an experienced secondary school teacher and Head of History, who is currently a History Subject Development Lead at Teach First. She is passionate about local history, writing the chapter in What is History Teaching, Now? and speaking at national events about its importance and how to embed meaningfully into history education. She brings her curriculum design experience along with her Masters degree in local history to help oversee and shape the Local History Hub curriculum and direction.

  • A woman with long brown hair wearing a brown jacket with a cream collar, standing in front of a large blue wall with a light-colored abstract logo and the letter ‘M’

    Liberty Melly

    DIRECTOR OF INCLUSIVE HERITAGE PRACTICE

    Liberty is Head of Learning at the Migration Museum, where she has led the growth of its national education programme since 2017. Under her leadership, the museum now supports thousands of students and hundreds of teachers each year, delivering resources and training in partnership with Multi Academy Trusts, exam boards, and education providers. With a background in the heritage sector and academic training in history and museum studies, Liberty brings a deep commitment to inclusive, place-based storytelling. Her work champions the role of migration in shaping the UK’s past and present.

Strategic Board of Non-Executive Directors

  • A woman with platinum blonde hair wearing a red and black leopard print top, smiling at the camera.

    Alex Fairlamb

    NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

    Alex Fairlamb is a Trust Teaching and Learning Network Lead and a senior leader with responsibility for Teaching and Learning. She is a Specialist Leader of Education (SLE), an Evidence Lead in Education (ELE), and a member of the Historical Association’s Secondary Committee.

    A History teacher and doctoral student, Alex is deeply committed to developing diverse and inclusive curricula. She is co-author of The Scaffolding Effect, co-editor of What is History Teaching, Now? (with Rachel Ball), and an OUP textbook author. She also facilitates the NPQLL for Ambition Institute.

    X: @lamb_heart_tea
    Website: alexf    airlamb.com

National Heritage Advisors

  • A woman with shoulder-length dark hair and sunglasses on her head, smiling and wearing a checkered shirt and vest, outdoors with ruins and cloudy sky in the background.

    Marie Woods

    NATIONAL HERITAGE ADVISOR: ENGLAND

    Marie is a heritage professional and archaeologist based in North Yorkshire, with a passion for making the past accessible, engaging, and relevant to everyone. With over a decade of experience in the heritage sector, she specialises in museum management, heritage learning, archaeological consultancy, and community-led projects.

Regional Heritage Advisors

  • Grace Redpath

    REGIONAL HERITAGE ADVISOR: NORTH EAST ENGLAND

    Grace Redpath is Learning Manager at the independent museum Land of Iron in Skiningrove on the North Yorkshire coast. With an MA in Curating Collections and Heritage from the University of Brighton, she is currently a PhD candidate in the Archaeology department at Durham University.

    Interested in democratising archival collections and intangible heritage, her previous work includes acting as Assistant Curator at Redcar Palace, and cataloguing Teesside Archives Teesworks Collection.

Join The Team

Local History Hub is a growing start-up, and we’re building a team of people who share a passion for education, heritage, and community.

As we expand, we're looking for individuals to take on voluntary roles including:

Most roles are flexible and voluntary, designed to fit around your existing commitments. You’ll be joining a supportive, teacher-led network working to shape something new from the ground up.

Explore current opportunities on our Vacancies page
Or get in touch directly at enquiries@localhistoryhub.org.uk

We’d love to hear from you.