Dr Sarah Rose has received a prestigious Outstanding Contribution Award from the Victoria County History (VCH) of England in recognition of her transformative work with the VCH of Cumbria.

The award was presented to Dr Rose by Professor Catherine Clarke, Director of the Centre for the History of People, Place and Community at the Institute of Historical Research, in London on VCH Day 2025.

Dr Rose is Research Associate and Volunteer Coordinator for the VCH of Cumbria, and she has played a crucial role in the project since 2012. During this time, she has implemented a pioneering participatory research method that has empowered local volunteers to help write detailed place-based histories.

This innovative approach, which has now been adopted nationally, has paved the way for major publications, including VCH Westmorland I. That volume (forthcoming this summer) is the first ever ‘Red Book’ for the VCH of Cumbria and the 250^th overall in the VCH’s series. Red Books are the classic publications of the VCH, each covering a substantial part of a county.

The book, which covers the area surrounding Kirkby Lonsdale in the historic county of Westmorland, exemplifies the excellence of Dr Rose’s work as well as the VCH Cumbria’s participatory approach. The book was largely founded on the work of the late Emmeline Garnett, a prolific project volunteer.

Professor Clarke said, ‘The nomination came unanimously from everyone here in VCH Central Office in recognition of Sarah’s work on Westmorland I and beyond, and, in particular, her generosity in sharing her expertise and experience with others across the VCH project and in local and place-based history more widely. Sarah is playing a key role as a mentor to those starting up new VCH projects, for instance, and in the peer support we are developing as a key strength of the project.’

Dr Rose was honoured alongside David Moss and Gil Alder from the VCH of Wiltshire, who also received awards.

VCH Westmorland I is scheduled to appear in August 2025 and can be preordered online from Boydell and Brewer.