The Cardiff Story, the Museum dedicated to telling the history of the city, has been nominated for a prestigious national award.
The Telegraph Family Friendly Museum Award recognises museums that have demonstrated they have activities, events and displays that all the family can enjoy.
After a call for public nominations, The Cardiff Story has been longlisted alongside other prestigious institutions including the Museum of London, National Museum of Scotland and Manchester Museum.
Since opening its doors for the first time in April 2011, the Cardiff Council and Heritage Lottery funded museum have had over 250,000 visitors from across the globe, who have left comments including:
“A fantastic free museum in the heart of the city that kept us entertained for several hours. It is fantastic for all ages and not just of interest to people with links to the city.”
“families can dress up as evacuees from the Second World War, or pretend to drive a Victorian steam train. There are no age limits or restrictions”
“I loved the dolls’ house. It was brilliant!”
Visitors to the Museum can view Cardiff’s history through colourful and interactive displays.
The Museum also has a dedicated children’s area where youngsters can piece together clues about Cardiff’s history, recreating characters from the past through play, dressing up and handling old objects. Regular family activities are held at the Museum, including an upcoming Easter Trail for children to discover hidden clues to reveal information about a key moment in Cardiff’s past.
Those museums nominated for the award will now be presented to a panel of judges, chaired by Jenny Abramsky, chair of the Heritage Lottery Fund. The judges will pick a shortlist of six museums, which are then road-tested anonymously by families, using the Kids in Museums Manifesto 2012 as a guide to their family friendliness. The winner will be revealed in May.
Executive Member for Sport, Culture and Leisure, Cllr Nigel Howells, said: “Its fantastic to hear that, after less than a year of being open, The Cardiff Story is already being recognised as a must see museum and family day out.
“Congratulations to the team for all their hard work in creating a museum that the city can be proud of. However the story of the Cardiff Story has only just begun, the Museum is now developing new galleries for Phase 2, and will offer even more events for people of all ages and abilities to enjoy.”
Museum Officer Victoria Rogers said: “We’re really pleased to have been long listed for this prestigious award. We’ve worked very hard to try to dispel the myth that museums are fusty and boring places to visit by presenting Cardiff’s amazing story in a way that appeals to everyone, especially children and families. It is particularly pleasing to have been nominated for the Telegraph Family Friendly Museum Award because it is ultimately judged by families themselves – the real experts!”
Entry to The Cardiff Story is free and the galleries are open seven days a week. The Museum is housed in Cardiff’s beautiful Old Library building on The Hayes,
If you are interested in becoming a mystery museum judge to help pick the winning museum, email [email protected].
