Help our family friendly museums win Telegraph award
Tuesday, 29 November 2011
The museums need as many nominations as possible
'It would be great to receive recognition for all the hard work put in by staff and volunteers to make our University museums family friendly.'
Two of the University's museums have been nominated for the Sunday Telegraph Family Friendly Museum Award, but to help them win they need as many nominations as possible by this Friday 2 December.
So far the Museum of English Rural Life (MERL) and the Ure Museum of Classical Archaeology have been anonymously put forward for the Award, which is co-organised by the independent charity Kids in Museums, but the University's Cole Museum of Zoology is also eligible.
This week MERL received a boost with a mention on the Telegraph website but support from members of the University is vital to all of the museums.
If you would like to nominate MERL or the Cole and Ure museums, all you have to do is email award@kidsinmuseums.org.uk telling them which one you are nominating, why it's the most family friendly, and why it deserves to win.
Bekky Moran, University Museums and Special Collections Services Learning Manager, said: "One of our museums winning this award would mean a tremendous amount. The Family Friendly Museum Award is the biggest museum award in Britain and the only one voted for by families, so it would be great to receive recognition for all the hard work put in by staff and volunteers to make our University museums family friendly.
"As part of the museums' commitment to public engagement with the University, we try to appeal to families and our local communities, as well as to academics and students."
In February 2012 the longlist, which is drawn up by a panel of judges chaired by Jenny Abramsky from the Heritage Lottery Fund, will be announced in the Telegraph newspaper and on the Kids in Museums website.
The shortlist will be announced in April 2012. Those museums are then road-tested anonymously by families, who report back to Kids in Museums, marking the museums against the points on the Kids in Museums Manifesto. The museum with the best family reports and most points wins. The winner will be announced at the Award Winners ceremony in May 2012.
So make your nomination now by emailing award@kidsinmuseums.org.uk!