Museum shortlisted for top award
Celebrations are in order at Erewash Museum in Ilkeston today as it’s been announced that they have been shortlisted for the prestigious national Family Friendly Museum Award run by the charity Kids in Museums.
The Family Friendly Museum Award is the biggest museum award in Britain – and the only one where families help to decide the overall winner. The museum has already been very successful with regional awards so to be recognised for this national award is a huge achievement!
Shortlisted museums will be road-tested anonymously by families over the summer, using the Kids in Museums Mini Manifesto as a guide to their family friendliness. If you’re interested in being an undercover family judge please email award@kidsinmuseums.org.uk. The winner will be revealed at an awards ceremony in October.
Councillor Mike Wallis, Erewash Borough Council’s Lead Member for Culture and Leisure, said:
“This nomination is a credit to all the staff that run Erewash Museum, many of them volunteers, who devote their time to encouraging young and old minds alike discover the history of our borough as well as organising brilliant event days. The best of luck to everyone involved!”
On the museum being nominated Emmajane Avery, Chair of Kids in Museums, said:
“We were really impressed with the high quality of this year’s nominations for the Family Friendly Museum Award and the brilliant family friendly work that is going on in museums all over the country. It’s fantastic that so many museums are using our Manifesto to shape their work with families, children and young people and listening and responding to their feedback. Erewash Museum clearly values, listens to and reaches out to its family audience. Families are at the core of all their exhibitions and each room in the museum is designed with families in mind. Local families love the wide range of free events and the friendly welcoming and this was reflected in the huge number of warm and enthusiastic nominations the museum received.”
