The Cardiff Story Museum has been long-listed for Kids in Museums’ Telegraph Family Friendly Museum Award. Only 20 museums made the long-list after judges whittled the numbers down from over 800 nominations.
Museum Manager, Victoria Rogers, said: “We are delighted to have made the long-list of the Family Friendly Museum Award this year. The Cardiff Story team works really hard to make sure that all members of the family – from babies to grandparents, enjoy their visits, and it’s great that this has been recognised by Kids in Museums.
“We have always attracted a lot of families to the museum to play and learn in our galleries, but over this past year we have added a lot more events and activities for children and their grown ups to our programme, so there are many more reasons to come to the museum, and to keep coming back.
“We especially like seeing grandparents bringing their grandchildren to the museum and them all playing with the activities we have in the galleries, having conversations together about how being a child in Cardiff has changed over the years!”
As well as regular free events for babies and toddlers like Dinky Dragons, the museum also works in partnership with a range of community groups to allow young people, particularly those not in education or training, to explore their heritage and build their confidence and skills.
Cabinet Member for Community Development, Co-operatives and Social Enterprise, Cllr Peter Bradbury, said: “I know the Museum team are especially proud of this because nominations come not just from other museums, but from families and children who have enjoyed their visit and want the museum to be recognised for it. The Cardiff Story has only been open for three years, but in that time it has become one of the key family attractions in the city for both locals and tourists.”
Dea Birkett, Director of Kids in Museums, said:”It’s testament to all the hard work of the team at the Cardiff Story that they’ve risen to the top 20 in Britain’s biggest museum award and the only one judged by families. In times of austerity, museums like Cardiff Story prove that their commitment to putting families and children is at the heart of all they do. Best of luck for the next stage.”
The long-listed museums will now be presented to a panel of experts to pick a short-list. If short-listed, the museum will be road tested anonymously by families, using the Kids in Museums Manifesto as a guide to its family friendliness.
For more information about the museum’s events programme, including their Dinky Dragons events, and school holiday activities, please see their website: www.cardiffstory.com or follow them on Facebook www.facebook.com/cardiffstory and Twitter @thecardiffstory.
