Two Barnsley Museums sites shortlisted for national Family Friendly Museum Award
We are delighted to announce that Barnsley Museums has been shortlisted twice for the Family Friendly Museum Award 2025! This includes shortlisting for:
- Worsbrough Mill Museum and Country Park for Best Accessible Museum
- Experience Barnsley Museum and Discovery Centre for Best Small Museum category
This is the fourth year in a row a Barnsley Museums site has been shortlisted by Kids in Museums, which is testament to the amazing family and learning offer available. Barnsley Museums venues have either won or been shortlisted for the Best Accessible Museum category every year since 2022. Cooper Gallery also won the Best Film category in the 2020 Family Friendly Museum Award From Home.
Worsbrough Mill is up against two other museums in the category, and Experience Barnsley is against four other museums.
At Experience Barnsley Museum, visitors can discover outstanding collections, exciting touring exhibitions and lots of free family activities. Currently on display is ‘Stories of Childhood’, an exhibition that celebrates over 100 years of growing up in Barnsley. At Worsbrough Mill, families can travel back in time, exploring the 17th century water mill, and surrounding parklands, reservoir, café and play area.
Cllr Robin Franklin, cabinet spokesperson for Regeneration and Culture, said: "We are delighted and honoured to have two museums shortlisted for this important award. We’ve worked hard to create an inclusive environment for families of all backgrounds and abilities, across all our sites. We’re passionate about making art and culture accessible and enjoyable for everyone, especially children and young people. We would like to thank all the families who nominated Worsbrough Mill and Experience Barnsley Museums!"
Charity Kids in Museums has run a prestigious annual award since 2004, recognising the most family-friendly heritage sites in the UK. It is the only museum award to be judged by families.
From February to late April, families across the UK voted for their favourite heritage attraction on the Kids in Museums website. A panel of museum experts, children and young people then whittled down hundreds of nominations to a shortlist of 18 heritage attractions. Two of those 18 are our very own Experience Barnsley Museum and Discovery Centre and Worsbrough Mill Museum and Country Park!
Over the summer holidays, we’ll be visited by undercover family judges who will assess both museums. Their experiences will decide a winner for each award category and an overall winner of the Family Friendly Museum Award 2025. 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.