Culture Coventry has been shortlisted for the Kids in Museums Best Engagement Team Award, it was announced today.
Charity, Kids in Museums has run a prestigious annual award for 16 years, recognising the most family friendly heritage sites in the UK.
From late March to early June, families and museums across the UK could vote 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 16 heritage attractions.
Culture Coventry – which includes Coventry Transport Museum, the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum and Lunt Roman Fort – is vying against two other museums in the shortlist for the Best Engagement Team.
This new category aims to recognise the dedication and innovation of museum staff and volunteers that go the extra mile to create an excellent family experience.
Lisa Ford, Learning & Engagement Manager at Culture Coventry, said: “We are really proud to have been shortlisted for this award and hope it increases families across the region to want to visit our museums and see what we can offer them.
“We have always strived to make our museums places inclusive to people of all ages and where children feel a sense freedom to play, explore and learn more about their local history.
“Our aim is to enthuse, engage and educate everyone who comes through the doors and that’s why we’ve worked so hard to be as interactive as possible to really inspire young visitors.
“We offer a range of family focused activities, both during term-time and the school holidays, along with special events, a series of ground-breaking exhibitions, along with our permanent collection gallery spaces.”
Over the summer holidays, the team at Culture Coventry will present their work to an expert panel. The panel will decide the winners to be announced at an awards ceremony in October.
Meanwhile, the museums shortlisted in the other award categories will be visited by undercover family judges. Their experiences will decide a winner for each award category and an overall winner of the Family Friendly Museum Award 2022. The Herbert Art Gallery & Museum has previously won the Family Friendly Museum Award in 2011, and was shortlisted again in 2018.
Follow the Family Friendly Museum Award on social media by following @kidsinmuseums and #FamilyFriendlyMuseum.
The Family Friendly Museum Award has been made possible by funding from Arts Council England.