Craven museum shortlisted for top family friendly award

Craven Museum at Skipton Town Hall could be in line for a national award for being a family-friendly attraction.

Charity Kids in Museums has run the Kids in Museum Family Friendly Museum Award since 2004, recognising the exciting and engaging heritage sites in the UK. It is the only UK museum award to be judged by families.

From late March to early 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 18 heritage attractions.

Craven Museum is vying with two other museums in the Best Accessible Museum Category. The 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.

North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for culture, arts and housing, Cllr Simon Myers, said: “We are delighted to have been shortlisted for the Kids in Museums Family Friendly Museum awards.

“Our team work incredibly hard to provide access to cultural experiences that everyone can engage with and are really passionate, it’s lovely that that has been recognised. It means even more that we have been nominated by families from our local community.

“The team consistently strives to enhance accessibility and visitor information. They actively welcome feedback and ideas from our audiences, encouraging individuals to reach out if they wish to discuss any specific access requirements.”

Through the summer, Skipton Town Hall will offer family-friendly entertainment every day of the school holidays. Events include interactive family theatre shows, free family crafts, an art club for teens, an archaeology Dig and Discover day, museum object handling, puppet performances and a silent disco. The museum and gallery are free to visit.

Over the summer holidays, the museum will be visited by undercover family judges who will assess the shortlisted museums against the Kids in Museums Manifesto, a set of guidelines on what makes a great museum visit for all ages. Their experiences will decide a winner for each award category and an overall winner of the Family Friendly Museum Award 2023.

The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in October.

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.