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The HELSA "Heart of England" region forms an approximate circle of 60km radius around the city of Birmingham in the centre of England and has member schools in the counties shown in the map below and in the list to the right. The name 'county' was introduced by the Normans, and was derived from a Norman term for an area administered by a Count (lord).
These Norman 'counties' were geographically based upon Saxon shires which were established as areas for the raising of taxes, and usually had a fortified town at their centre. These became known as the shire town or later the county town, for example Nottingham in Nottinghamshire.
The HELSA region is a taste of "real England". It is very easy to get to (just 75 minutes by train from London to Birmingham) yet it is still largely undiscovered by main-stream tourism. In the Heart of England you will meet more English speaking people and fewer foreign visitors than you may in London and the south east of Britain.
Click on the counties below to find out more! |
