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Craven Museum named winner of Family Friendly Museum Award 2023

Yorkshire’s Craven Museum has beaten off competition from some of the UK’s top museums, galleries, historic homes and heritage sites to be named the winner of this year’s Family Friendly Museum Award

Craven Museum in Skipton, Yorkshire, is the UK’s top family-friendly museum for 2023

A museum in the town of Skipton in North Yorkshire has been named the UK’s top family-friendly museum for 2023.

Selected from a shortlist of nominated museums, charitable organisation Kids in Museums awards the prize annually to one museum, gallery, historic home or heritage site in the UK that goes the extra mile to provide a great experience for families.

This year, the Family Friendly Museum Award 2023 goes to the Craven Museum, which also picked up the award for Best Accessible Museum.

Part of Skipton Town Hall - a cultural hub run by the North Yorkshire Council Cultural Services Team - the museum reopened with the venue in 2021 following a major restoration and redevelopment project.

Following its redevelopment, the venue is wheelchair accessible, with lifts, a Changing Places toilet, dementia friendly signage and audio-visual aids for museum displays. Reaffirming its commitment to accessibility, staff have also completed autism awareness training and offer sensory bags and monthly relaxed sessions for autistic visitors.

The family judges who visited the museum were “blown away” by the friendly staff and how easy it was for everyone to get hands on in the galleries with colour-coded family activities, dressing up, feely boxes, interactive screens and family trails tailored for different ages.

“This is one of the most accessible, family-friendly and welcoming museums I have visited across Britain,” said a member of the judging panel. “It’s very inclusive and their website is a particularly strong point in terms of helping people to feel able and welcome to visit. People can visit the museum or attend an event knowing what to expect and what options are available.”

This is the second year running that a Yorkshire museum has taken home the title, following a win for the National Emergency Services Museum in Sheffield in 2022.

“The team at Skipton Town Hall and Craven Museum are truly honoured to receive the Kids in Museums Family Friendly Museum Award 2023,” said Danielle Daglan, head of Culture and Archives at North Yorkshire Council.

“This recognition highlights our ongoing efforts to create welcoming spaces where families can discover and connect with our rich cultural heritage. We are deeply committed to providing meaningful experiences for all visitors, and this award serves as a heartening affirmation of our dedication to inclusivity.”



Announced at an awards ceremony in London, the full list of winners for the Kids in Museums Family Friendly Museum Award 2023 are:

Best Accessible Museum and Overall Winner

Craven Museum, Skipton

Best Small Museum

Royal Cornwall Museum, Truro

Best Medium Museum

The Beaney House of Art & Knowledge, Canterbury

Best Large Museum

Museum of Liverpool

Best Youth Project – Climate

Tullie, Carlisle