Wisbech museum is shortlisted for prestigious award

The Wisbech & Fenland Museum is in the running for a prestigious award recognising its family friendly environment.

It has been announced that the museum, on Museum Square in the town, has been shortlisted for the Kids in Museums Family Friendly Award.

Judged by families, charity Kids in Museums has run the prestigious annual award for the past 15 years, recognising the most family friendly heritage sites in the UK.

Museum curator, Robert Bell said: ‘We are absolutely thrilled to be nominated and thank all the families who took the time to make a nomination for putting us forward for this award.

"Throughout lockdown we offered families free creative and fun museum experiences. These included an Arts Award and creative resource packs for families to enjoy at home which were distributed through Child and Family Centres and the Salvation Army supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. As soon as we could, thanks to funding from SHARE Museums East, the Art Fund and the National Lottery Heritage Fund, we opened for our family bubbles enabling Covid safe visits for families."

From April to June, families across the UK voted online for their favourite heritage attraction and a panel of museum experts then whittled down hundreds of nominations to a shortlist of 20 heritage attractions.

Wisbech & Fenland Museum is vying against four other museums in the Best Small Museum category.

Robert continued: "We prioritise families and young people across our work and support young people of all ages to get involved with the museum’s collections with young volunteer opportunities and placements. Right now, our Young Curators, aged 15 to 24, are busy designing new Egyptian displays for the museum.

"Currently, even though the museum is undergoing major building works, we have our family friendly ‘Schools Summer Exhibition’ open every Saturday along with the museum Library and throughout the summer holidays we are taking our free family programme out of the museum and will be popping up around town with our mobile museum experience with lots of engaging and fun family activities."

The museum will now be visited by undercover family judges who will assess the museums against the Kids in Museums Manifesto. Their experiences will decide a winner for each award category and an overall winner of the Family Friendly Museum Award 2021, made possible by Arts Council England funding.

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