We were so very pleased to have won Best Family Arts Activity at the Fantastic for Families Awards ceremony in November. The award was for our PLAY Live programme which was created as a response to the Covid-19 pandemic as a way to take the Early Years programme online and into people’s homes.

When we closed back in March 2020 we knew we had a responsibility to keep going. We rose to the challenge of finding a way to make the gallery more accessible during a time when we were closed. Through these play sessions we managed to reach new audiences who wouldn’t usually engage with the gallery and our audience has grown both in numbers and diversity.

We’ve built up some wonderful partnerships along the way including Great Ormond Street Hospital, Women’s Aid, local Children’s Centres as well as schools and nursurues across the country.

The pandemic provided an opportunity to try something we wouldn’t have otherwise tried. A play community has been created that brings people together, with no limits in terms of distance. A unique, diverse mix of people from across the UK and across the world (including Greece, Buenos Aires, Portugal, Ireland & Massachusetts) come together in their homes, hospitals, refuges, schools or nurseries to connect through the universal language of play.

We were thrilled to recieve this ward as the catergory was filled with amazingly inspiring projects from other arts organisations across the country.

To find out all the shortlisted activities and list of category winners visit https://www.familyarts.co.uk/awards2021/