Valence House Museum has been shortlisted for the prestigious Family Friendly Museum Award, it was announced today.

The charity, Kids in Museums, awards the prize annually to one museum, gallery, historic home or heritage site in the UK, that goes the extra mile to provide a great experience for families. It is the only museum award to be judged by families.

Throughout April and May, families across the country voted for their favourite heritage attraction on the Kids in Museums website. A panel of museum experts then whittled down over 800 nominations to a shortlist.

Valence House Museum is vying against 5 other museums in the small museum’s category, and against 15 other museums for the overall Family Friendly Museum Award.

Valence House was voted by the Guardian as one of the 50 best free things to do in London. The only surviving manor house in Dagenham, dating back to Medieval times, it is still partially surrounded by a moat. Following extensive refurbishment in 2010, exciting galleries tell the story of Barking and Dagenham and its people throughout the ages, utilising the core collection of around 20,000 objects. Along with the museum, visitors enjoy the tranquil herb garden, Dig for Victory plot, Oasis tearoom and Archives and Local Studies Centre. An extensive year-round programme of events keeps all the family entertained, from cupcake decorating and archaeology to gardening, ziplining teddy bears and everything in between!

What a great achievement for Valence House Museum to be nominated for a Family Friendly Museum award.

I want to say a huge congratulations to the team - this is recognition for all the fantastic work they do for such a wonderful part of the borough’s heritage.

Councillor Saima Ashraf, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Community Leadership and Engagement is ‘over the moon’ to hear about Valence House Museum’s nomination:

“What a great achievement for Valence House Museum to be nominated for a Family Friendly Museum award.

“I want to say a huge congratulations to the team - this is recognition for all the fantastic work they do for such a wonderful part of the borough’s heritage.”

Emmajane Avery, Chair of Kids in Museums, said: “It’s great to see Valence House Museum on the shortlist for this year’s Family Friendly Museum Award. To make it to the shortlist in our most competitive year yet is a fantastic achievement and a testament to the hard work staff have put in to create an enjoyable experience for families. This is a well-loved museum that caters for its community and makes a real effort to go out and meet more families. We wish the museum the best of luck in the next round of judging.”

The museum will now be visited by undercover family judges who will assess the museums against the Kids in Museums Manifesto. Their experiences will decide a winner for each award category and an overall winner, our Family Friendly Museum of the Year 2019. The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in London in October.

Follow the Family Friendly Museum Award on Twitter by following @kidsinmuseums and #FamilyFriendlyMuseum.

The Family Friendly Museum Award has been made possible by funding from Arts Council England and is kindly supported by Edwardian Hotels London.