David J .A. Hallam

David Hallam lives in Smethwick in the West Midlands. He contributes a weekly TV review column to the Methodist Recorder and his latest book "The Year the Queen Died" is based on his reviews from 2022.

David is very interested in the rich history of the West Midlands region. In 2015 he graduated from the University of Birmingham with Master of Arts in history. The book "Taking on the men", about women parliamentary candidates in the region in 1918 was based on his dissertation.

His first book "Eliza Asbury" tells the story of the mother of Bishop Francis Asbury. In 2018 he published a short history of the Newton Road United Reformed Church which is available to download free of charge. Details in the video on this page.

David is interested in politics and has been a member of both Sandwell Borough Council and the European Parliament, where he was active on the Agricultural and Rural Affairs Committee.

Professionally David is a public relations specialist and has worked for several major national and international organisations.

He is always happy to undertake speaking assignments for his two major books: Taking on the Men and Eliza Asbury.

He is currently researching other aspects of the history of the West Midlands including the life of Tony O'Connor, Britain's first Black head teacher, and racial issues in Smethwick in the 1960s.

David is active in his local Methodist church and is a West Midlands representative on the National Members' Council of the Co-op Group, the UK's largest ethical retailer.