Manchester Museum is delighted to be one of 5 UK venues shortlisted for this year’s Fantastic for Families Audience Impact Award.
With a spectacular collection of over 4.5 million objects, from Stan the Tyrannosaurus Rex to the Vivarium, Live Animals gallery where you can see live reptiles and frogs as they would be in their natural habitat, there’s something for everyone in the family to explore and discover at Manchester Museum. Over four floors, the museum has displays and exhibitions, featuring collections from all over the world as well as a year round programme of free family friendly events and activities, from arts and crafts, to performances, storytelling and music, working with skilled creative artists and practitioners and partners.
‘We’ve been here ages, we’ve loved it, it’s been brilliant. People here (activity facilitators) have been so knowledgeable!’ Theo’s Grandma aged 67
We’re delighted to have been nominated for the Audience Impact Award in recognition of work towards hello future, our exciting £13.5 million project that will transform the museum, to be more inclusive, caring and relevant to the diverse communities we serve. From 2019 the museum has been partially open, and this has been an opportunity to try new ways of working. We have continued to offer family tours, our core family programme of drop-in holiday and weekend activities, and our autism friendly ‘See, Make and Do’ programme, and we have also been testing out new ideas. These include Family Late Openings, Calm evenings, and bespoke intergenerational events for home educating families.
We’ve piloted extensive new initiatives, from hosting our first Iftar and Diwali events, to increasing the range of language tours available, and embedding multilingual interpretation in our Beauty and the Beasts exhibition. We’ve become England’s first Museum of Sanctuary, acknowledging commitment to our ongoing work with refugees and asylum seekers. And with healthcare professionals we’ve launched MusoBaby for parents at risk of post-natal depression and their newborns.
We’ve embraced being partially open and used this opportunity to take some of the amazing collections out beyond the walls of the museum. Taking outreach to a whole new level, we’ve popped up at 10 local festivals, community libraries and we stopped people in their tracks when Maharajah (our elephant skeleton) popped up in Piccadilly train station last summer, sparking awe and wonder with the passing commuters and travellers.
‘Whoever’s idea this was, it’s brilliant, just brilliant! What struck me is how many people are looking at, and stopping by to look’ Liz
During Lockdown we have created a new mobile website Manchester Museum in Quarantine where you’ll find a wealth of online resources and activities, all in one place. From downloadable resources – for families, home educators, carers, adults, researchers and groups to virtual exhibitions and online events which, in case you miss them, are all archived and available for you to view whenever you like.
Watch our Fairytale Frogs with Kasia Majewski
We are regularly adding to the site, developing new digital content in response to suggestions and opportunities as they arise.
Current and forthcoming events to look out for include our summer Staycation programme, packed with activities and ideas for families and coming soon, we will be hosting a range of Manchester Pride activities. Also look out for Made to Measure, our tailor made digital events for groups. These events are designed specifically to meet the interests and needs of the participants, and are open to home educating families and 3rd sector organisations including charities and care homes, amongst others.
