(Above) Education Minister Ed Balls and Mariella Frostrup at the launch. © Culture24
The Kids in Museums campaign today launched its new manifesto at the British Museum and revealed a new government-backed campaign to get more families into UK venues.
The Flexible Family Ticket campaign seeks to change the standard family tickets on offer at most museums and galleries to bring them more in line with the needs and profiles of families in today's Britain.
Speaking at the launch, Kids in Museums patron, TV personality and columnist Mariella Frostrup, said the new campaign was "such an important thing in this day and age".
"Families do not come in two-by-two," she said. "They come in all shapes and sizes. If you are a single mother with four kids then you need to be able to get into a museum just as much as a husband and wife with two kids."
Kids in Museums was launched by Dea Birkett after one of her children was asked to leave a Royal Academy of Arts exhibition.
Canvassing opinion from museum-goers under the guise of a Family Ticket Watch, Kids in Museums will be asking: "What has been your experience of a family ticket?"; "Did it fit your family?" and "What would you like a family ticket to look like?"
The initiative has received backing from the government in the form of a £30,000 DCSF grant. Education Minister Ed Balls was also on hand at the launch to offer his backing.
“We want all families, whatever their shape or size, to enjoy the magic of museums and galleries,” said the Minister. “That's why we have asked Kids in Museums to do a national consultation for us on family tickets.
"Grandparents, aunts and uncles as well as children of all ages should benefit from family discounted tickets and we want to make sure that all museums and galleries adopt a flexible approach in the future."
Kids in Museums patron Mariella Frostrup. © Culture24
The launch was also a platform for the new Kids in Museums Manifesto, which is made up of a 20-point document compiled entirely from visitor comments and suggestions for improving family access and visits.
The second point on the Manifesto raises the issue of group tickets being adapted to suit the needs of different types of families.
"It's one of those ideas that is so obvious," added Frostrup. "We're thrilled that the government has decided to support it. It's our mission to make sure all families, whatever their shape and size, feel welcome in museums and galleries."
British Museum Director Neil MacGregor offers his backing to the campaign. © Culture24
British Museum director Neil MacGregor congratulated the Campaign's founder, writer and journalist Dea Birkett, for her committed campaigning.
"What you have done in getting this movement going is wonderful and I want to thank you for what you have achieved," he said before cheekily alluding to the genesis of the campaign when Birkett and her children were thrown out of the Royal Academy's Aztec exhibition after one of her brood shouted "Monster".
"In our Aztec exhibition (Moctezuma) not only are children allowed in for free, but we're offering home family human sacrifice kits. We look forward to hearing how they work.”
To find out more about the Kids in Museums campaign and their manifesto visit www.kidsinmuseums.org.uk.
