National Maritime Museum Wins Best Large Museum in Family Friendly Museum Awards 2022

The National Maritime Museum (NMM) in Greenwich has won Best Large Museum in the Kids in Museums Family Friendly Museum Award 2022, it was announced at an awards ceremony in London on Wednesday 19 October 2022.

 

Run by charity Kids in Museums, the national award is awarded annually to one museum, gallery, historic home or heritage site in the UK that goes the extra mile to provide a great experience for families.

 

Since it launched in 2004, the award has become a benchmark of excellence in the heritage sector. Each year Kids in Museums receives hundreds of public nominations, which are whittled down to a shortlist by an expert panel. The final say goes to families, who visit each shortlisted museum over the summer holidays, and decide the winners.

 

Family judges praised the Museum’s friendly staff, hands on activities, age-appropriate labels, comfy seating and good facilities, including a buggy park and a picnic area, meaning families can bring and eat their own food. They also appreciated the focus on climate and sustainability in everything from the displays to the toys in the shop.

 

One family judge said: “We had a wonderful day at the Museum. There were activities outside the Museum in the open air before we even entered as well as lots to do inside.  The children were able to move about freely… We would definitely revisit and recommend this Museum to other families.”

 

The programming at the Museum has been developed in consultation with local families, particularly responding to changing needs post pandemic. Furthermore, the Museum prides itself on ensuring teams across the Museum recognise the importance of a family visit and aim for the highest of standards.

 

Katie Cassels, Families and Young People Manager at the National Maritime Museum said, ‘The NMM is delighted to have received this award from the family judges and Kids in Museums. The Museum hopes to be a welcoming and safe space for all families to enjoy a day out together and engage with the world around them. Receiving this award is a sign that families feel the Museum is meeting the high quality laid out in the Kids in Museums manifesto’.

 

Announced in London on Wednesday, the winning museums in the Kids in Museums Family Friendly Museum Award 2022:

 

Winner: Best Small Museum + Overall Winner

National Emergency Services Museum, Sheffield

 

Winner: Best Medium Museum

Museum of Making, Derby

 

Winner: Best Large Museum

National Maritime Museum, London

 

Winner: Best Accessible Museum

Experience Barnsley

 

Winner: Best Family Engagement Team

PK Porthcurno, Penzance in Cornwall

 

Follow the Family Friendly Museum Award on social media by following the hashtag #FamilyFriendlyMuseum. The Family Friendly Museum Award has been made possible by funding from Arts Council England.

 

-ENDS-

 

Notes to Editors

• For interviews, more information or images from any of the winning museums, please contact Paul Drury-Bradey on paul@cultureandsocialimpact.co.uk / 0751 3121502
• For more information on Kids in Museums contact Jocelyn Murdoch on jocelyn@kidsinmuseums.org.uk
• For images or further information about the National Maritime Museum, please contact the Press Office at press@rmg.co.uk or 020 8312 6545/6789/6589

 

The National Maritime Museum holds the world’s largest maritime collection telling stories of Britain’s epic relationship with the sea, housed in historic buildings forming part of the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site.

 

The National Maritime Museum is part of Royal Museums Greenwich which also incorporates the Royal Observatory, the 17th-century Queen’s House and the clipper ship Cutty Sark. This unique collection of museums and heritage buildings, which form a key part of the Maritime Greenwich UNESCO World Heritage Site, and are also major centres of education and research. The mission of Royal Museums Greenwich is to enrich people’s understanding of the sea, the exploration of space, and Britain's role in world history. For more information, visit www.rmg.co.uk.

 

About Kids in Museums

We are a charity dedicated to making museums open and welcoming to all children, young people and families. We support and champion family friendly organisations through wide-ranging initiatives, including the Family Friendly Museum Award and Takeover Day. We invite heritage organisations to sign up to our Manifesto, which sets out simple guidelines for making museums easy to reach for all ages. www.kidsinmuseums.org.uk

Find us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

 

Arts Council England is the national development agency for creativity and culture. We have set out our strategic vision in Let’s Create that by 2030 we want England to be a country in which the creativity of each of us is valued and given the chance to flourish and where everyone of us has access to a remarkable range of high quality cultural experiences. We invest public money from Government and The National Lottery to help support the sector and to deliver this vision. www.artscouncil.org.uk 

 

Following the Covid-19 crisis, the Arts Council developed a £160 million Emergency Response Package, with nearly 90% coming from the National Lottery, for organisations and individuals needing support. We are also one of the bodies administering the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund. Find out more at www.artscouncil.org.uk/covid19.