National Civil War Centre wins family friendly museum award

A popular town centre attraction in Newark has been recognised as one of the best family friendly museums in the country at a national awards ceremony.

The National Civil War Centre, on Appletongate, has won Best Small Museum at the prestigious Family Friendly Museum Awards 2024.

Run by the charity Kids in Museums and made possible by funding from Arts Council England, the national award celebrates museums, galleries, historic homes or heritage sites in the UK that go the extra mile to provide a great experience for families.

Since it launched in 2004, the award has become a benchmark for excellence in the heritage sector, and each year, hundreds of public nominations are whittled down to a shortlist by an expert panel.

The final decision is then made by families, who visit each shortlisted museum over the summer holidays, and choose the winners.

Competing against four other museums in the Best Small Museum category, the National Civil War Centre clinched the win with family judges remarking on the Centre's wide range of interactive activities that engaged children of different ages, including dressing up, board games, and tech-based exhibits.

Parents valued the welcoming atmosphere and friendly staff, with one family judge saying: “We visit a lot of museums as a family, and out of everywhere, this has had the most activities that my five-year-old has proactively engaged with — we easily spent two and a half hours there."

Another said: “We would definitely return as a family and take part in other special events which all sounded interesting and engaging... plenty for children to do, including games, activities, trails, dressing up... the icing on the cake for my child were the Playhem blocks, which were an inspired idea.”

Residents of Newark and Sherwood can visit for free and enjoy a wide range of events throughout the year, including Family Saturdays every month and regular Thursday Mini Museum sessions.

Carys Coulton-Jones, business manager for heritage and culture, said: “Myself and the rest of my team want to send a huge thank you to the families who nominated us and chose us as the winners as well as every family who has visited the centre this year.

“I am enormously proud of the passion and creativity of our team who continue to excel, offering fun and fascination to visitors of every age and ability.

“They regularly astound me with their ability to make every subject accessible, interesting and engaging for everyone and I’m so happy that this has been recognised on a national level with such a meaningful award.”

Rowan Cozens, portfolio holder for heritage, culture and the arts, said: “Making history and culture accessible, and even playful, is so important.

“The National Civil War Centre welcomes families and children through their doors at a young age, ensuring that they see the centre as a safe place for fun and creativity.

“I am very proud that this award-winning team are breaking down the barriers that prevent many people from stepping into museums because of memories and experiences they had of unfriendly places as a child.

“Our museum is welcoming and friendly which sets up the best possible relationship for lifelong enjoyment and involvement in culture, heritage, and art.

“I’m delighted to hear that their wonderful work has been rewarded and encourage any local families who haven’t yet visited to come along and find out why.”