Alistair Hardaker
Image: A child explores an interactive exhibit at Experience Barnsley Museum and Discovery Centre (c) Barnsley Museums-2
Museum recognised for community engagement and accessibility takes overall prize at Kids in Museums awards after winning small museum category.
South Yorkshire museum Experience Barnsley has won the Family Friendly Museum Award 2025, having first been named Best Small Museum at a ceremony in London on 13 October 2025.
Run by charity Kids in Museums, the national award is presented annually to one museum, gallery or heritage site in the UK recognising its visitor experience for families.
The free-entry museum tells the story of Barnsley through artefacts, documents, films and recordings donated by people living and working in the area. The museum explores Barnsley’s past and present through a varied programme of activities and events delivered by staff and volunteers.
Experience Barnsley previously won the Best Accessible Museum category in the Family Friendly Museum Award 2022. The latest win follows a record-breaking milestone for visitor figures at Barnsley Museums, with two million people welcomed through the doors in 2024-25.
Each year Kids in Museums receives hundreds of public nominations, which are assessed by an expert panel. Families then visit each shortlisted museum undercover over the summer holidays to decide the winner.
Family judges who visited Experience Barnsley praised the museum’s free entry and wide range of activities, including trails for all ages, dressing up and hands-on games. Many family judges stayed for hours or until closing time.
One family judge said: “From start to finish, this place is glorious. We really loved it. Something for everyone; so much to see, do and take part in. A lot of hands on things to keep my 3 year old excited. Can’t wait to return.”
Another judge said: “There was an excellent range of activities both in the galleries and the temporary exhibition… There was a real feeling that the staff had tried to genuinely involve local people in text and objects. We all thought this was such an impressive museum.”
One of the families who nominated the museum for the award said: “There’s no faults with this museum. There’s so much to do. Educational, comfortable and accessible.”
Alison Bowyer, executive director of Kids in Museums, said: “Collections and stories from the community are at the heart of Experience Barnsley. This is evident across the venue; from the initial inspiration for a museum designed with local people, for local people, to the recent Stories of Childhood exhibition, which featured objects curated by local schoolchildren.”
This year, a new category, ‘Best Museum Youth Project: Social Justice’, was introduced. Kids in Museum said the new award category is “dedicated to museums that have given young people meaningful opportunities to explore social justice issues. It was open to museum applications only and will be judged by an expert panel, including young people.”
The award was given to Black Cultural Archives, an achive and heritage centre in Brixton, London.
All the winners in the Kids in Museums Family Friendly Museum Award 2025:
Best Small Museum + Overall Winner: Experience Barnsley Museum and Discovery Centre
Best Medium Museum: V&A Dundee
Best Large Museum: The Burrell Collection, Glasgow
Best Accessible Museum: Eureka! The National Children’s Museum
Best Museum Youth Project: Social Justice: Black Cultural Archives
