Museum and art gallery shortlisted for Family Friendly Museum award

June 18, 2019June 17, 2019

Hastings Museum and Art Gallery has been shortlisted for the prestigious Family Friendly Museum Award, it was announced this morning.

Charity Kids in Museums awards a prize annually to one museum, gallery, historic home or heritage site in the UK that goes that extra mile to provide a great experience for families. It is the only museum award in the UK to be judged by families.

Throughout April and May, families across the country voted for their favourite heritage attraction on the Kids in Museums website. A panel of museum experts then whittled down over 800 nominations to a shortlist.

It’s a ‘fantastic achievement’ for Hastings Museum and Art Gallery to have reached this stage in the award process.

Hastings Museum and Art Gallery is vying against five other museums in the small museum category and against 15 other museums for the overall Family Friendly Museum Award.

Kim Forward, lead councillor for culture said: “We are really pleased to be shortlisted for this award because our programme of events pays particular attention to inclusivity and the family. Examples over the last year include Dino Day, Starlings Music, Ask the Expert, quiet early morning openings and the Hastings REAL (Rigorous, Engaging, Authentic Learning) Programme. It’s wonderful that so many people had such a positive experience in our museum that they nominated us for this award-thank you very much!”

Emmajane Avery, Chair of Kids in Museums, said: “It’s great to see Hastings Museum and Art Gallery on the shortlist for this year’s Family Friendly Museum Award. To make it to the shortlist in our most competitive year yet is a fantastic achievement and a testament to the hard work staff have put in to create a truly enjoyable experience for families. We received a lot of positive feedback from the parents of children with disabilities and with autism, showing the museum is working to welcome everyone. We wish the museum the best of luck in the next round of judging.”

“The museum will now be visited by undercover family judges who will assess the museums against the Kids in Museums Manifesto. Their experiences will decide a winner for each award category and an overall winner, our Family Friendly Museum of the Year 2019. The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in London in October.”

Follow the Family Friendly Museum Award on Twitter by following @kidsinmuseums and #FamilyFriendlyMuseum.

The Family Friendly Museum Award has been made possible by funding from Arts Council England and is kindly supported by Edwardian Hotels London.

The full list of museums shortlisted for the Family Friendly Museum Award 2019 is:

Large Museums Category