The Anglo-Hellenic League was founded in the aftermath of the 1912-13 Balkan Wars in order to counter anti-Greek propaganda in the United Kingdom. Dedicated to promoting Anglo-Greek understanding and friendship, the League has a long history of charitable and cultural work.

After the first World War, through John Gennadius, a co-founder and Honorary President, the League took a leading role in establishing the Koraes Chair of Modern Greek and Byzantine History, Language and Literature at King’s College London. During the Second World War the League raised funds for the starving Greek population and for the Greek Navy and the Merchant Marine. In the immediate post war years the League gave assistance to a children’s home, a hospital in Athens and to war-ravaged villages in remote parts of Greece and gave similar help to the southern Ionian Islands after the 1953 earthquakes.

In 1979/80 the League raised over £80,000 towards the ‘Save the Acropolis’ Appeal.

In 1986 it established the Runciman Award, an annual prize given for a book or books on some aspect of the Hellenic scene and in 2002 the Katie Lentakis Memorial Fund Award (see below).

From 1990-2014 the League published the important twice-yearly journal, 'The Anglo-Hellenic Review', which included articles of topical and historical interest on the Hellenic world, a comprehensive Book Review section and reports on current Hellenic activities.

This annual prize, organised by the League, is awarded to a book or books, wholly or mainly about some aspect of Greece or the world of Hellenism, published in English in the first edition in the previous year. First conceived in 1983 during Lord Jellicoe’s chairmanship of the League, it is named in honour of Sir Steven Runciman, the distinguished historian and the League’s longest-serving Chairman.

The aim of the Award is to stimulate interest in Greek history and culture from earliest times to the present; to reward and encourage good and accessible writing, of which Sir Steven’s works are an example; and to promote wider knowledge and understanding of Greece’s contribution to civilization and values. The prize may be awarded for a work in the field of history, literary studies, biography, travel and topography, the arts, architecture, archaeology, the environment, social and political sciences or current affairs; or for a work of fiction, poetry or drama. Translations from Greek literature are also eligible.

The prestige of the Runciman Award is reflected in the quality of its  judges, of whom there are five: four picked by the Council of the League and one in agreement with the Award's co-sponsors.  Our sponsors have included the Onassis Foundation, the National Bank of Greece Cultural Foundation and Elias Paraskevas Attorneys1933. From 2021, the Award is jointly sponsored by the A. C. Laskaridis Charitable Foundation and the A. G. Leventis Foundation. The value of the prize to the winner is £10,000.

Detailed information about the Award, including books submitted, short-listed books and winners, is available on our dedicated website: see www.runcimanaward.org. See also, from time to time, our 'News' page.

This Award, first presented in June 2002, is funded by the League. It is given annually to an undergraduate at King’s College London for an essay on any field of Hellenic Studies.

The League is governed by a set of rules, which set out the League's purpose and procedures. The League has two charitable objects:

(a) the advancement of knowledge of the science, art, literature, music, history, economics, philosophy, culture and way of life of Greece; and

(b)  the relief of poverty and hardship, with particular regard to people in Greece.

The current rules were adopted by the Annual General Meeting in London on 14 June 2018. A full copy is attached. 

Trustees' Reports and Financial Statements

The most recent Trustees' Reports and Financial Statements are attached below. The reports and statements are received by the Annual General Meeting and, when required, filed with the Charity Commission.

1913-1926   William Pember Reeves

1927-1932   Earl Beauchamp

1932-1941   Lord Rennell of Rodd

1941-1950   Sir Percy Loraine

1950-1951   Admiral Sir Howard Kelly

1951-1967   Sir Steven Runciman

1967-1970  Viscount Eccles

1971-1975   Sir Michael Stewart

1975-1979   Sir Robin Hooper

1979-1986   Earl Jellicoe

1986-1990  Sir Peregrine Rhodes

1990-1993   Sir Brooks Richards

1993-1999   Sir Roger Tomkys

1999-2007  Sir David Miers

2007-2014  Sir David Dain

2015-2018  Gerald Cadogan