Falmouth Art Gallery has been shortlisted for a Kids in Museums Family Friendly Museum Award. The gallery has been nominated alongside two other museums in the Best Youth Project- Climate category for their resident Youth Club, Splanna.

The charity Kids in Museums has run the prestigious annual award since 2004, recognising the most family-friendly heritage sites in the UK.

From late March to early June, families and museums across the UK could vote for their favourite heritage attraction on the Kids in Museums website.

A panel of museum experts then whittled down hundreds of nominations to a shortlist of 18 heritage attractions. Falmouth Art Gallery previously won the main award in 2006.

This year, a brand new category, Best Youth Project – Climate, was introduced to recognise innovative and thoughtful projects engaging young people on the topic of the climate emergency and sustainability. It was open to museum applications only and the gallery nominated their resident Youth Club, Splanna.

Splanna is free to attend and involves weekly evenings of art workshops, conversation, and food. The core purpose is to provide a nurturing and empowering space for local young people to come together and explore the climate and ecological emergency through art and conversation.

Since beginning in 2021, as a group, Splanna has created and put on a climate emergency exhibition in the gallery. They have written and performed a rap at a Cornwall Climate Conference, created an art installation about soil health in the local park, and hosted stalls running climate-themed art workshops for members of the public.

Access and Interpretation Manager Sarah Scott said: "Running Splanna is such a rewarding experience and we are really excited to be entering our third year running. We're thrilled to be nominated; having this recognition for the work we are doing with the group is such a boost for our confidence and to the morale of the young people."

Falmouth Art Gallery says they always try to display and co-create inspiring art for everyone. Prioritising inclusivity and value family visits, running regular free-workshops and activities for all.

In response to the climate crisis, they are actively working with the rest of Falmouth Town Council to minimize their environmental footprint.

Over the summer, the team at Falmouth Art Gallery will present their work to an expert panel. They will then decide the winners to be announced at an awards ceremony in October.

Meanwhile, the museums shortlisted in the other award categories will be visited by undercover family judges. Their experiences will decide a winner for each award category and an overall winner of the Family Friendly Museum Award 2023.

To find out more about activities, groups, and exhibitions visit: Falmouth Art Gallery