September Round-Up: Growing Partnerships and Local Roots

September has been a month of fresh energy, new connections, and exciting firsts for Local History Hub. As schools have settled into the new academic year, we’ve been busy strengthening partnerships, welcoming new colleagues, and beginning our first hub meetings across the country.

We began the month by joining GEM (Group for Education in Museums), the UK’s leading network for heritage education professionals. This membership marks an important step for Local History Hub, placing our teacher-led movement within a national community committed to high-quality museum and heritage learning. It ensures our work remains rooted in best practice while amplifying the role schools can play in preserving and celebrating local heritage.

Soon after, we announced our partnership with Kimyo, a new platform helping young people discover museums, galleries and heritage sites. Like us, Kimyo is committed to accessibility and lifelong learning, and we’re delighted to highlight it as a resource for schools and heritage partners across our networks.

On 4 September, we were proud to welcome Saira MacNicol to our Strategic Board as a Non-Executive Director. Saira brings a wealth of experience from both the classroom and leading heritage institutions, and her expertise will be invaluable as we continue to build inclusive, place-based learning opportunities.

We also announced our partnership with A Day of Welcome, an initiative championing inclusive practice in schools and exploring themes of migration, identity, and belonging. This reflects our shared belief that local history is a powerful way to connect children with global experiences of welcome and sanctuary.

ater in the month we were delighted to appoint Charlotte Barry as our Regional Heritage Advisor for South Wales. Charlotte, who works at Cyfarthfa Castle Museum and serves as a GEM Cymru Rep, will play a key role in supporting our growth in the region, connecting schools with local partners, and strengthening our UK-wide team of Advisors.

We also shared exciting news about a developing national partnership with English Heritage. With their extensive network of sites and learning offers, English Heritage is perfectly placed to work alongside Local History Hub in supporting schools to explore heritage in meaningful, accessible ways.

Alongside these partnerships and appointments, September has also seen the first steps of our hub activity on the ground. In Cardiff and Blackburn with Darwen, schools and partners came together for their first hub meetings, setting the stage for collaborative working parties that will shape the year ahead. These meetings brought together teachers, heritage professionals, and community voices to begin identifying priorities and opportunities — a model we’ll be rolling out across our other hubs this autumn.

We also hosted our first information sessions for local authorities and academy trusts, introducing Local History Hub to educational leaders and heritage partners. These sessions are designed to show how hubs work in practice, and to invite schools and organisations into the movement at a formative stage.

It has been a month of significant progress — both in deepening national partnerships and in laying the foundations for meaningful local collaboration.

As we move into October, we look forward to continuing these conversations, supporting our new hub leads and advisors, and sharing updates on the partnerships that will carry Local History Hub into its next chapter.

Thank you, as always, to everyone who is part of this journey.