One of the Trust’s aims is “to advance the education of the public in the study of and research into family history, genealogy, heraldry and local history through one-name studies generally” As well as organising its own educational seminar most years it also sponsors seminars and lectures on one-name studies organised by other bodies, at which the Halsted Study is referred to where appropriate.
The Halsted Trust has sponsored appropriate lectures at other conferences.
On 29 October 2005, the Trust sponsored a one day conference held by the Society of Genealogists.
In April 2008 the Trust paid £500 towards the purchase of the Dering Roll at auction by the British Library.
At the 2008 Guild of One-Name Studies Conference in Bideford, Devon, the Trust sponsored Dr Michael Braund from Australia who lectured on Australian sources for one-name research. In past years the Trust has held seminars in London, Norfolk, and in Worcestershire. These seminars are open to the general public free of charge, but admission is by ticket only, with the tickets being allocated on a ‘first come, first served’ basis.
In 2008, the Trust sponsored the publication of a brand-new edition of “One-Name Family History Groups”, a booklet written by Derek Palgrave, FSG, who, was at the time, one of its Trustees and therefore waived any royalties from its publication.
In June 2014 the Trust paid for the purchase of twelve computers for the Society of Genealogists’ Computer Suite at a cost of £4,000 (ex VAT).
The Society of Genealogists‘ extensive lecture programme each year sometimes includes one or more seminars on One-Name Studies sponsored by The Halsted Trust; the most recent having been held on September 19th 2009. Historically, when the Society’s annual Family History Show was held in Westminster, it included a free lecture sponsored by the Trust as part of the programme, such as “What is a One-Name Study”.
The Halsted Trust sponsored a stream of lectures at the International Weekend Conference organised by The Federation of Family History Societies (FFHS) in Autumn 2004 at Loughborough. It has also sponsored one or more lectures at weekend Conferences organised by local Family History Societies in association with the FFHS, such as the Autumn 2006 International Conference at Northampton University, and the Autumn 2008 Conference at University of Essex, Colchester. Such lectures are usually by eminent experts, such as George Redmonds or Professor David Hey on surnames, and can include “leading edge” subjects such as DNA Testing.
In 2009, the Trust hosted the FFHS’s Half-yearly General Meeting on the Saturday afternoon of the Trust’s own Autumn International Conference “Open the Door and Here are the People” in Nottingham.