Kids in Museums has run a prestigious annual award for the past 15 years, recognising the most family friendly heritage sites in the UK. It is the only museum award to be judged by families.
From April to June, families across the UK voted for their favourite heritage attraction on the Kids in Museums website. A panel of museum experts then whittled down hundreds of nominations to a shortlist of 20 heritage attractions.
The Fitzwilliam Museum is vying against two other museums in the Best Accessible Museum category. The Best Accessible Museum category celebrates museums making excellent efforts to include families with children or young people who have special educational needs and disabilities. Shortlisted museums will also be given feedback on how they can further improve their offer for families.
Miranda Stearn, Head of Learning, said: “We know this has been a tough year for so many families in our community, even more so for those facing additional challenges such as needing to shield, so being shortlisted for Best Accessible Museum feels even more of an honour this year. Working with our partners across the University of Cambridge Museums, the County and City Councils and local charities, we've been determined to find alternative ways to stay in touch with families and provide opportunities for creativity inspired by our collection.
"Listening to families has been vital in making sure we are offering with works for them, so being nominated by families for this award is incredibly special.”
What the museum provides for families
From the ancient world to the present day, the Fitzwilliam Museum looks after a collection of over half a million works of art and material culture. Entry is free and its team loves welcoming families to explore its collections and spaces together through online activities and resources, self-led trails, and a variety of free family events including Family First Saturdays 2-4pm on the first Saturday of the month, and Family Art Week in the summer holidays.
Due to COVID restrictions, all activities must currently be booked ahead at https://tickets.museums.cam.ac.uk/events. With its partners across the University of Cambridge Museums and the wider community, the Fitzwilliam Museum offers targeted projects and programmes for children and families who face additional barriers to access, including disability friendly openings and its monthly Arts Pioneers club for young people with additional needs.
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 of the Family Friendly Museum Award 2021. The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony 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.
Image: Kids in Fitzwilliam Museum © Martin Bond