blha
Betley Local History Society (BLHS) is a volunteer-run, non-profit society founded in 1980 that preserves and disseminates the history of Betley and surrounding Staffordshire villages through monthly meetings, ~28 publications, a digitised archive, and oral history recordings, serving local residents and family historians via a £6.50 annual membership.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1980
- HeadquartersBetley, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What blha does
Betley Local History Society (BLHS) is a non-profit voluntary organisation founded in 1980 in Betley, Staffordshire, England, that preserves and disseminates the local history of Betley and surrounding villages (Wrinehill, Balterley, Ravenshall, Bowsey Wood). The society was established following a 1977-1980 university extramural class led by Robert Speake at Keele University and is operated entirely by an elected volunteer committee (Anne Becket, Chair; Shirley Kennerley, Vice-chair & Archivist; Judy Bettley-Smith, Secretary; Mavis Smith, Newsletter Editor; Robert Bailey, Visits Coordinator, among others). Its core offering consists of approximately 28 published works spanning books, a DVD documentary, and downloadable PDFs covering local topics including WWI/WWII histories, coal mining, railways, and church monumental inscriptions, complemented by a digitised archive of census returns (1851-1891), parish registers, oral history sound recordings, photographs, and the Betley Parish News dating from 1959.
The society runs monthly meetings on the third Thursday of each month at the Methodist Chapel in Betley, hosts visits to historical sites, and participates in community events including the annual Betley Show. Its technology footprint is minimal: a Squarespace-hosted website (blhs.co.uk) with PayPal integration for membership and publication sales, plus social media presence on Facebook (page and group), Instagram, and Twitter. Distribution occurs through three channels — direct in-person meetings, self-serve website purchases, and local retail partners (Nantwich Bookshop, Betley Village Post Office).
BLHS generates revenue through three streams: recurring annual membership subscriptions (£6.50 online / £6 in person), one-time publication sales (physical and digital PDFs), and donations processed via PayPal. Its customer base consists solely of individual local residents, family historians, and local history enthusiasts, with no enterprise or institutional customers. Partnerships are the primary external relationships, including the South Cheshire Family History Society, Staffordshire Archives and Heritage Service, Keele University, The National Archives, Gresham College, and Brampton Museum. The society has no institutional investors, no parent company, and operates exclusively within Staffordshire, England.
blha firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- blha
- Legal name
- Betley Local History Society
- Website
- https://blhs.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1980
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Betley Local History Society (BLHS) is a volunteer-run, non-profit society founded in 1980 that preserves and disseminates the history of Betley and surrounding Staffordshire villages through monthly meetings, ~28 publications, a digitised archive, and oral history recordings, serving local residents and family historians via a £6.50 annual membership.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
blha industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Local Heritage Services
- NAICS
- Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Libraries and Archives (51921), Historical Sites (712120)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF), Cultural Heritage Institutions (Archives, Historic Houses, Monuments Foundations) (THAJADAI)
Keywords
Where blha is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Betley
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
blha business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Membership Subscriptions: Annual membership fees providing access to archives, newsletters, and discounted event entry. Members receive regular newsletters, access to archived materials including old photographs, past copies of the Betley Parish News dating back to 1959, and sound archive recordings.
- Publication Sales: Sale of local history publications and books about Betley and surrounding areas, including downloadable locked PDF copies of society publications.
- Donations: The society accepts donations to support its work and community services. Donations can also be made for downloadable locked copies of publications.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Annual Membership |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
blha product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Betley Local History Society runs a membership-based heritage organization delivering monthly talks, site visits and local research projects centred on the village of Betley and surrounding areas in Staffordshire. It sells printed and digital historical publications (books and DVDs on local topics such as world wars, coal mining, railways and parish monumental inscriptions) and maintains an archive of historical documents, photographs, newsletters and oral history recordings for member access.
Product overview
The Betley Local History Society (BLHS) operates a membership-based organization offering access to historical publications, archives, and educational programs centered on the village of Betley and surrounding areas in Staffordshire. The society's portfolio consists of printed and digital publications covering local history topics (including WWI/WWII histories, coal mining, railways, and church monumental inscriptions), DVD documentary content, and digital access to newsletter archives and oral history recordings. Members receive priority access to monthly talks, site visits, and research services. Non-members may purchase individual publications directly.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- BLHS Membership Subscription Annual membership subscription to Betley Local History Society (BLHS), priced at £6.50 per year online or £6.00 paid in person at meetings. Members receive a discount on monthly talk entrance fees, access to old photographs, recent newsletters, past copies of the Betley Parish News dating back to 1959, and snippets from the society's sound archive collection featuring reminiscences from long-time Betley residents. Aimed at local residents, family historians and local history enthusiasts.
- BLHS Historical Publications (books and DVDs) Collection of approximately 28 local history books and DVDs produced by Betley Local History Society, covering topics such as the world wars ('Lest We Forget' by Phil Coops, 2003; 'Betley During the Second World War' by David B Thompson, 2003), coal mining ('Betley - A Coal Mining Village?' by David B Thompson, December 2001), railways ('The Railway and Railwaymen of Betley' by David B Thompson, March 2002), parish monumental inscriptions ('St. Margaret's Church Monumental Inscriptions' by Phil Coops and Mike Grose, 2008), and a Timelines DVD film 'Betley Village - A DVD' (circa 2003). Sold as physical copies at Nantwich Bookshop, Coffee Lounge and Betley Village Post Office, and as locked-PDF downloads via the society's website with PayPal payment.
- Newsletter Archive Access Password-protected access via the Member's Area of the BLHS website to past issues of the society's newsletter, with archived issues covering Spring 1999 through 2023. Aimed at society members and local history researchers seeking chronological updates from the society's activities.
- Oral History Sound Archive Digitised audio archive and transcripts of conversations with long-time Betley residents such as Harry Dodd, Clifford Johnson and Bill Thornhill, preserving first-hand reminiscences of village life. Made available to society members as part of the membership benefits.
- Historical Document Archive Collection Extensive collection of historical documents preserved by BLHS covering Betley and surrounding villages (Wrinehill, Balterley, Ravenshall, Bowsey Wood), including census returns from 1851-1891, parish registers, trade directories, photographs, letters, bills, receipts, and local maps. Available to members for local and family history research.
Companies that use blha
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
blha technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
blha partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- South Cheshire Family History SocietycorePhilip Coops, a founder member of BLHS, was also a founder member of the South Cheshire Family History Society. Both societies collaborated on the Memorial Inscription project to compile lists and indexes of Memorial Inscriptions in South Cheshire and North Staffordshire.
- Keele UniversityminorThe society has historical ties to Keele University, having originated from a university extramural class. They collaborate on local history courses and research projects with university academics and students.
- The National ArchivesminorThe society shares information about webinars and events organised by The National Archives, which provide educational resources relevant to local and family history research.
- Staffordshire Archives and Heritage ServicecoreActive collaboration with Staffordshire Archives and Heritage Service on history study days, research projects, and educational events. The society participates in their annual study days and shares relevant resources.
- Gresham CollegeminorThe society shares information about free online history lectures provided by Gresham College, a prestigious institution offering lectures by leading historians.
- Brampton MuseumminorCollaboration on heritage events including virtual tours of Newcastle Borough featuring archive films about Betley and surrounding villages from the 1960s onwards.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
blha competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- British Association for Local History (BALH): The UK-wide membership body for local history societies, directly serving the same cohort BLHS belongs to. Comparable in mission to support amateur and volunteer local-history research, publications, and events.
- The Historical Association: UK-wide membership organization promoting history education and supporting local history societies. Directly comparable audience and mission of supporting history engagement at the community level.
- British Records Society: Learned society publishing editions of primary historical records for British and Irish history. Comparable publication and archive-access model to BLHS's monograph and newsletter output.
- Victoria County History: Long-running scholarly programme producing county-by-county histories of England. Comparable to BLHS in its commitment to place-based historical research and publication, though operating at a more academic and national scale.
- Staffordshire Record Society: County-focused record-publishing society for Staffordshire, the same county BLHS primarily covers. Directly comparable in publishing local primary sources and archival materials for a defined regional community.
- Cheshire Archives and Local Studies: Local archive service for Cheshire, the adjacent county where BLHS also collects material (Wrinehill, Balterley). Comparable in archival function, providing public access to historical records for a defined regional community.
Broad incumbents
- English Heritage: Major heritage organization preserving historic sites, monuments, and providing educational interpretation. Overlaps with BLHS's preservation and public-engagement mission but operates at national scale rather than single-village focus.
- The National Trust: UK heritage conservation charity maintaining historic properties, collections, and landscapes with volunteer-supported local volunteer networks. Shares BLHS's heritage preservation and community-engagement ethos but at much greater scale and scope.
Others
- National Lottery Heritage Fund: Major grant funder for heritage projects across the UK. Relevant to BLHS as a potential funding source for digitization, archive preservation, or partnership projects, though not a direct competitor.
Emerging players
- Royal Historical Society: UK learned society promoting historical research and supporting historians at all career stages. Tangentially comparable as a higher-tier body that supports the broader ecosystem in which BLHS operates.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
blha social profiles
Digital presenceblha financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
blha leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
blha funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
blha M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about blha
What does blha do?
Betley Local History Society runs a membership-based heritage organization delivering monthly talks, site visits and local research projects centred on the village of Betley and surrounding areas in Staffordshire. It sells printed and digital historical publications (books and DVDs on local topics such as world wars, coal mining, railways and parish monumental inscriptions) and maintains an archive of historical documents, photographs, newsletters and oral history recordings for member access.
Is blha a public or private company?
blha is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was blha founded?
blha was founded in 1980. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is blha based?
blha is headquartered in Betley, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does blha make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Membership Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are publication Sales and donations.
Who are blha's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are British Association for Local History (BALH), The Historical Association, British Records Society, Victoria County History, Staffordshire Record Society and Cheshire Archives and Local Studies. Broad incumbents are English Heritage and The National Trust. National Lottery Heritage Fund is listed as an others. Royal Historical Society is listed as an emerging player.
Does blha have an API?
No public API is recorded for blha.
What industry is blha in?
blha's product category is Local Heritage Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAHAA, Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty), with a secondary code of BPAGAHAF, Libraries, Archives & Special Collections. Its NAICS code is 712 and its SIC code is 8600.