LEVEL Centre shortlisted for Audience Impact and Innovation Award

24 Incredible Arts Activities and Initiatives Shortlisted for the national Fantastic for Families Awards

Family Arts Campaign are pleased to announce the incredible events, activities and initiatives that have been shortlisted for this year’s Fantastic for Families Awards. Each of the organisations have made an outstanding contribution to family and age friendly arts and culture in 2022-23.

Family Arts Campaign celebrates this year’s Fantastic for Families Awards nominees by sharing their 24 Stories of Family Arts engagement from across the UK. These uplifting stories represent outstanding opportunities created by the arts and culture sector for families and older people to access creative opportunities and improve wellbeing.

Now in its tenth year, the Fantastic for Families Awards is an annual programme open to UK-based cultural organisations or cultural activity organisers, providing creative opportunities, activities, or initiatives for families and older people.

Amidst the current challenges we face in the UK with the cost of living crisis, arts and culture not only offers respite, but brings us together, ignites our imaginations and enriches our lives. The arts sector continues to provide quality family arts experiences in these challenging times, with many dedicated to reaching more families and engaging more diverse communities, particularly the most vulnerable and marginalised. These organisations and initiatives are needed now more than ever.

The 2023 shortlist recognises and celebrates the achievements of family arts professionals, through sharing their diverse stories from across the arts spectrum. Their work supports communities and participants including families, young mothers, isolated elders, and those struggling with mental health and wellbeing. These 24 stories of family arts include creating a space of sanctuary through music, dance and art for refugees and asylum seekers in Manchester; singing and songwriting for people with dementia and their carers in Doncaster; puppetry, performance and art installations outdoors for young families in deprived neighbourhoods of Nottingham, and an interactive multicultural dance performance, fusing the Indian classical dance, Bharatanatyam, with contemporary dance and music, developed in Cambridge.

“Now in its tenth year, the Fantastic for Families awards continues to be an amazing opportunity to share and celebrate the brilliant and inspiring work created by the cultural sector. This year’s nominees have all demonstrated how creative and cultural opportunities can make a real difference to families, older people, and the wider community. In particular, the awards demonstrate how the arts sector is crucial to broadening opportunities for vulnerable families and those who are in need.” 

“(Anna Dever, Executive Director, Family Arts Campaign) 

The full shortlist of organisations is:

Best Family Arts Activity

This award celebrates high-quality family arts activities suitable for audiences and participants of all ages.

Highly Sprung – Highly Sprung Play Day

Wirral Unplugged – Positive Power: Environmental Chemistry

balletLORENT – Rapunzel

Groundswell Arts – Dancing Together

City Arts – Hoopla!

BarrowFull – Playcations

Super Sparkle – Tick Tock and the Christmas Clock

Curve – Little Curve Workshops

Sanskruti Cambridge CIC – Apple ‘N’ Spice

Motionhouse – Starchitects: An adventure in space

Maths On Toast – Fun Family Maths

Northern Stage – Best Summer Ever

Best Age Friendly Outreach

This category recognises outreach approaches, provided specifically for older people, such as age-friendly activities, events, creative resources, or broader forms of support and outreach.

darts – Singing for Memory

Aspex Portsmouth – Generate

Doncaster Culture Services – History, Health and Happiness

Create – art:links

Halpern Charitable Foundation, Nuclear Arts – Chat Connect Create

Royal Exchange Theatre – The Dream Project

Audience Impact and Innovation Award

This award recognises the achievements of creative organisations or cultural event organisers who have demonstrated innovation and adaptability to reach and make a difference to families in need.

Royal Shakespeare Company – Like I Care

The Whitworth & Afrocats – Afrocats x Whitworth

Theatre Porto – Warm and Toasty

Travelling Light Theatre Company – Louder Than Words

LEVEL Centre – Youth Collective

Stand & Be Counted Theatre – Secret Summer

Fantastic For Families Awards are given by Family Arts Campaign, the national Investment Principles Support Organisation for arts engagement and families, funded by Arts Council England.

The winners of the Fantastic For Families 2023 Awards will be announced on 22 November 2023, book your free tickets here.

Visit familyarts.co.uk/2023-awards to find out more about the Fantastic For Families Awards programme.