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London Museum of Water & Steam shortlisted for national Family Friendly Museum Award

London Museum of Water & Steam has been shortlisted for the Kids in Museums Family Friendly Museum Award, it was announced today.

Charity Kids in Museums has run a prestigious annual award for 16 years, recognising the most family friendly heritage sites in the UK. It is the only 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 16 heritage attractions.

London Museum of Water & Steam is vying against 4 other museums in the Best Small Museum category.

"We are dizzy with delight to be on the list with some incredible Museums. This is the first time ever that a Hounslow Museum has been shortlisted for the Kids in Museums Family Friendly Museum Award. The shortlisting panel were incredibly impressed by the warmth of the family nominations for the museum, which is incredible." Gemma Cante, Learning and Engagement Coordinator.

With its familiar tower, a local landmark, the Museum has long been a favourite of west London families. "Each area was brilliantly tailored to small children, from the water area and family quiet zone to the wild garden that offered endless enjoyment. As a parent I was very impressed by the child toilet seats, spare clothes and nappies available should they be required, as well as the steps for small children to see the displays. This is no ordinary museum. Fun day out for all the family." Lauren, mum to 2 year old Joshy

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. Their experiences will decide a winner for each award category and an overall winner of the Family Friendly Museum Award 2022. 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.

Notes to Editors

About London Museum of Water & Steam

The Museum is open 10am-4pm at weekends during term time, then from 23rd July until 29th August it's open Wednesday-Sunday for the Summer Holiday with challenges, archaeology workshops, family tours, trails, arts and crafts and science shows. Adults £18 / Concessions £16 and children go free. Tickets are valid for a whole 12 months! Visit www.waterandsteam.org.uk for more information.

About Kids in Museums

We are a charity dedicated to making museums open and welcoming to all children, young people and families. We support and champion family friendly organisations through wide-ranging initiatives, including the Family Friendly Museum Award and Takeover Day. We invite heritage organisations to sign up to our Manifesto, which sets out simple guidelines for making museums easy to reach for all ages. www.kidsinmuseums.org.uk

Find us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

About the Family Friendly Museum Award

Kids in Museums began the Family Friendly Museum Award in 2004 to recognise heritage sites that are the most welcoming, fun and accessible for families.

Previous winners of the Family Friendly Museum Award include the Bailiffgate Museum & Gallery in Alnwick (2021), Andrew Carnegie Birthplace Museum in Dunfermline (2019), Leeds City Museum (2018) and the People's History Museum in Manchester (2017).

The full list of museums shortlisted for the Family Friendly Museum Award 2022 is:

Best Large Museum

·      National Maritime Museum, London

·      Riverside Museum, Glasgow

Best Medium Museum

·      Discovery Museum, Newcastle Upon Tyne

·      Museum of London Docklands

·      Museum of Making, Derby

·      The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent

Best Small Museum

·      The Egypt Centre, Swansea

·      Ely Museum

·      London Museum of Water and Steam

·      National Emergency Services Museum, Sheffield

·      The Story Museum, Oxford

Best Accessible Museum

·      Colchester Castle

·      Experience Barnsley

·      National Maritime Museum, London

Best Family Engagement Team

This new category aims to recognise the dedication and innovation of museum staff and volunteers that go the extra mile to create an excellent family experience. It will be judged entirely by an expert panel.

·       Culture Coventry

·      PK Porthcurno

·      University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge

Their experiences of our undercover family judges will decide the winner for all four museum categories. An expert panel will then pick an overall winner of the Family Friendly Museum Award from the family judged categories to be announced in October 2022.

About Arts Council England

Following the Covid-19 crisis, the Arts Council developed a £160 million Emergency Response Package, with nearly 90% coming from the National Lottery, for organisations and individuals needing support. We are also one of the bodies administering the Government's Culture Recovery Fund. Find out more at www.artscouncil.org.uk/covid19.