Your membership magazine

Welcome to the first fully digital edition of HA News.

We have the final letter from current HA president Alexandra Walsham, and we introduce our new president James Daybell.

With our annual conference in Newcastle Gateshead just around the corner we give our pick of 10 things to do and see in the area, including the Tyne bridges, the Angel of the North and the Vampire Rabbit!

2026 is the National Year of Reading and the HA is joining in to celebrate the power of the written word. This also flows into our Local History Month theme, looking at the importance of writers and local records to historians for bringing a place to life.

We are delighted to award this year's Dawson Lecture to Mike Maddison, and we invite nominations for this year's Medlicott Medal. We also have competition updates for Young Quills and the Great Debate. 

Martin Frampton shares 'What got me into history?', we celebrate Bath Branch's centenary, and we meet Sally Coulthard, author of A Brief History of the Coast in 100 Objects.   

We hope you enjoy this edition. If you have any feedback or any ideas for future HA activities or articles you would like to contribute to HA News, we'd love to hear from you on enquiries@history.org.uk.