Family Arts Explorers 2025

Background

Summary

We were delighted to run our second Family Arts Explorers programme in 2025 after two years of more universal summer offers for families. This time we worked with Victoria Primary in the Meadows and also Edale Rise Primary in Sneinton and built on the feedback from families and arts partners previously involved. Once again, the aim was for the family groups, as mainly first-time visitors to city venues, to be a focus group to inform our shared learning.

Through our Child Friendly Creative City funding we were able to financially support the public transport access to sessions, removing one of the most significant barriers to participation. There was a What’s App group which became a warm, friendly and supportive space, as well as induction materials, in-school meetings and different ways to capture evaluation. Everyone appreciated the memorable photographs from Lamar Francois (Pictured by Lamar) which documented the project., and are seen here.

Venues taking part

This year we added a sixth venue, the National Justice Museum which was paired with Nottingham Contemporary for a full day. Huge thanks to all the families and arts partners for the reflections and feedback, some of which were added to a Padlet each week.

The Summer Arts Pop Up space in the Victoria Centre available four days per week in August added another dimension to our offer for families this year too, and several families made sure to visit.

On-going Contact

One of the legacies of the project has been the continued contact with the families involved. Over the six months since participating, we have been able to signpost them to other offers and activities across the city.

By signing up participants to the Parents and Carer E-News they have also received special offers to shows and events such as the Halloween trail and Story Builders family day (National Literacy Trust) at Nottingham Castle through It’s in Nottingham, and reduced-price theatre tickets such as the Panto, thanks to the Theatre Royal. They have been more confident to take up offers as a result of taking part in the Family Arts Explorers programme.

Nottingham Contemporary & National Justice Museum

From the families, Nottingham Contemporary

Parent Perspective
Did anything surprise you? What went well?
‘This is our first experience so we enjoyed it a lot’.
‘We enjoyed a lot’ ‘Surprised at the art’
‘Every things surprise and happy us’
‘The main hall went very well as there were lots of activities.’
‘I wasn’t sure what to expect but it’s been great!’

What could make it even better?
‘More seating for parents’.
‘Spend some more time in the main hall.’
‘Unsure, maybe smaller groups?’

Children’s Perspective

Thumbs up post its:
‘Running after the light and dancing. Seeing myself dancing on the wall.’
‘Making a stickman’
‘Hunter was surprised how good the arts and crafts was’.

What would you change to make this even better for other children visiting here:
‘The crafts downstairs should change every week’. ‘Playing with them’

Ursula Rae, Nottingham Contemporary

What had you planned to try out/ask the families during your session?

We wanted to see how families engaged with both the free holiday activities in The Space and the Family Explorer Bags in the galleries. We asked about ease of use, enjoyment, and whether the resources helped them explore the exhibitions. Families loved The Space — making and playing! For some younger audiences, engaging with the Explorer Bags in the galleries, especially in a large group, was more challenging.

Did you learn anything else from the experience?
Lots of families didn’t know about our offer — that they can access free activities during the school holidays, and that Family Explorer Bags are always available to help explore the gallery. More targeted promotion through very local schools for parents and carers will be a priority moving forward.

Who will you share your learning with across your organisation?
We’ll share this across our team to inform future planning and outreach, particularly in relation to how we market our offer. We look forward to hearing the feedback from families to share further with the team.

Will you do anything differently to inform future planning in terms of family access to your venue as a result of the Family Arts Explorer experience?
We’ll try marketing directly to local schools to raise awareness and build stronger connections with families in our community –thinking about flyering at school pick up times!

From the families, National Justice Museum

Parent Perspectives

Did anything surprise you? What went well?
‘Old time history, getting me surprised.’ ‘Everything’
‘The look of jails. The stories of prisoners’
'‘I really enjoyed the tour and the story writing.’
‘Old prison, dark cell.’ ‘The tour guide was brilliant’

What could have improved the experience?
‘It’s perfect experience for me’ ‘Unsure, was good!’
‘Time duration to be shorten it be helpful, because 10-4pm is too long!’
‘Nothing, really enjoyed the trip.’

Children’s Perspectives

Who did you meet today?
I met my best friends and made drawings

What do you think you’ll remember most?
The prison / Not to steal, so I don’t end up in jail.

What would you change to make this even better for other children visiting here?

‘Sharing crayons’ ‘Do not scare them’ 'More drama’
‘More outfits’ ‘To make sure they know all about it’

Joanne Ayris, National Justice Museum

From the families, National Justice Museum

What had you planned to try out/ask the families during your session?

We tried out a family tour and poem activity that we wanted to see if the concept worked for a potential school holiday offer for families visiting our site. We also asked the families to look around our 30 Objects of Justice exhibition in our free exhibition area and provide feedback on the family activity trail.

Did you learn anything else from the experience?
We were able to prove that our family tour could work well, as long as the parents were an active part of the session. When the parents bought into the experience, we had a lot of fun, and the staff really enjoyed the session too. Finally, the afternoon session confirmed that we would need to develop a different offer for the 5 and under market if we wanted to invite groups with such young families.

Who will you share your learning with across your organisation?

We have already shared some of our experiences across the creative and interpreter teams as well as management.

Will you do anything differently to inform future planning in terms of family access to your venue as a result of the Family Arts Explorer experience?

It is likely that any family activities we run we will add the targeted age range of the activity to the advertising (as we have for other activities).

Wollaton Hall & Lakeside Arts

From the families, Wollaton Hall

Parent Perspective

Did anything surprise you? What went well?
‘Heritage and history of this building surprises me and the inside of the museum is amazing.’
‘The Gallery’
Everything was very well managed and the team was great.’
How engaged my children were.’
‘Historical places and the park’

What could have improved the experience?
‘Little bit about timing -it is a bit long’
‘Everything is already at it’s best. Thank you all.’
‘Divide it into two trips – spend 30 mins in floor 1 and then another 30 mins in floor 2. However take a little break.’

Children’s perspective

What do you think you’ll remember most?
‘Making a safe place with lego’
‘All the cool animals and the fun activities. ‘
‘Dino’

What would you change to make this even better?
‘Touching more’
‘Maybe give more time exploring the outside of Wollaton Hall’
‘More planets – I like space!’

Sue Mallender, Wollaton hall

From the families, Wollaton Hall

What had you planned to try out/ask the families during your session?

We wanted to run the LEGO session for families who wouldn’t usually come to our sessions and who haven’t visited the museum. Many of the galleries have recently been redeveloped so even if the families had visited previously, we could see how they respond to the changes that have been made. We also are in the process of developing a trail which focuses on the LEGO themed activity – Saving Today’s Dinosaurs.

Did you get answers to your enquiries/testing out?
Yes, none of the families had visited the galleries previously and very few had been to Wollaton Park at all. The adults had no idea that Wollaton Hall is a Natural History Museum – thinking it was a stately home. We were pleased with the reaction to the collections in the galleries and the session as a whole, which were extremely positive. Many of the participants said they had learned a lot as well as enjoying the experience.

Did you learn anything else from the experience?

It was good that the families came using public transport and interesting to have feedback on our information we sent them. We are supposed to be encouraging people to use modes other than the car to access our sites, so this was additional useful information. Also, when we mentioned the £15 annual ticket (£30 for all three sites) we were pleased that this didn’t seem to put the families off coming, especially as children are free.

Who will you share your learning with across your organisation?
The site, media, leaning and engagement and curatorial staff, our volunteers, and also with our partner museums, the Natural History Museum, London and LEGO.

Will you do anything differently to inform future planning in terms of family access to your venue as a result of the Family Arts Explorer experience?
The trail was in the very early stages of development so we will use the visit to improve it, I am hopeful the information will help with any future developments of the galleries, not only at Wollaton but also our other sites. I will also be hoping to have more public transport information on our website and other forms of information, to encourage travelling by more climate friendly ways.

From the families, Lakeside Arts

Parent Perspectives
Did anything surprise you? What went well?

The group was small which was a nice surprise. I enjoyed designing the bag and the nature walk. I liked the ‘no technology’ rule. It was nice to unplug.’

‘Really enjoyed being creative’.

‘Exploring’

What could have improved the experience?
That you could go in both buildings.’ ‘Visit the gallery’
‘Nothing to improve, Everything was great’.

Children’s perspectives

What do you think you’ll remember most?
‘The exploring in the forest.’
‘Walking’ ‘Making bags and the trail’ ‘the adventure’ What would you change to make this even better for other children visiting here? ‘Shapes and colours’

Rachel Feneley, Lakeside Arts

What had you planned to try out/ask the families during your session?
We had originally planned to explore questions around family access and welcome, using the session to gather feedback on how families experience our venue and exhibitions. We intended to test out elements of our offer and ask families about their needs, preferences, and any barriers they face when visiting.

Did you get answers to your enquiries/testing out?
Unfortunately, we were unable to run the session as planned. The gallery was closed on the day of the visit, and we didn’t have access to the spaces we would normally use to showcase our work. As a result, we weren’t able to test anything out or gather the specific feedback we had hoped for.

Did you learn anything else from the experience?
Yes — we learned the importance of adaptability. Despite the challenges, we chose not to cancel and instead ran a friendly, informal family session. This reminded us that learning can still happen in less-than-ideal circumstances, and that being responsive and flexible is key. It also reinforced the need to keep pushing for best practice and to work meaningfully with families from diverse backgrounds and with different needs.

Who will you share your learning with across your organisation?
We’ll share this learning with our programming and engagement teams, as well as with colleagues involved in access and inclusion. It’s important that everyone understands the challenges we faced and the value of continuing to prioritise family engagement, even when resources are stretched.

Will you do anything differently to inform future planning in terms of family access to your venue as a result of the Family Arts Explorer experience?
Yes. This experience has highlighted the need for more robust contingency planning and clearer communication around access. We’ll also continue to advocate for inclusive practice and co-design with families, especially those from underrepresented communities. Only by working closely with families can we truly test and evolve our approach to access and engagement.

Theatre Royal and Nottingham Playhouse

From the families, Theatre Royal

Parent Perspective

Did anything surprise you? What went well?

‘The stage slant’
‘Princess Diana came in this theatre’
‘Loved seeing the set’
‘Everything was surprising’
Really enjoyed the tour, really interesting.
‘Like the tour, theatre was amazing, details and everything’

What could have improved the experience?
‘More activity’

Children’s Perspective
What do you think you’ll remember most?
‘Backstage’
‘Going on stage’
‘The statue’
‘Colouring’
‘Meeting friends’
‘It’s nice experience in theatre. We visit these places for first time. So it was nice to explore new things.’

What would you change to make this even better for other children visiting here?
‘Make it my house’
‘Trying more outfits’
‘More stuff’
‘By changing green colour, because it’s so boring’
‘More free tickets for children’s shows
‘It woz fun’.
‘To tell what they can make’

Georgina Donohoe, Theatre Royal

From the families, Theatre Royal

What had you planned to try out/ask the families during your session?

The sessions focused on learning about the theatre’s history ahead of its 160th birthday this September. The group watched a short film together about two Victorian builders who worked at the theatre. We looked at old images of the building and thought about the similarities and differences we could see today. The groups then visited the different spaces of the building including the foyers, auditorium, stage and loading bay backstage. received a special postcard to take home with them.

Did you get answers to your enquiries/testing out?

We thoroughly enjoyed welcoming the family groups to the theatre. We do not do regular public family tours, so it provided a wonderful opportunity to connect with families. It definitely provided a framework and learning we can use in the future.

Did you learn anything else from the experience?

We learnt to adapt the sessions to the age level of the groups. The afternoon had more focus on dressing up, singing a song on stage and more time spent on colouring in. Cathy’s ball game sharing what they remembered from the previous week at the start really helped bring the group together and immediately feel comfortable in the space which was great to see.

Who will you share your learning with across your organisation?

Information about the sessions was shared in our full staff meeting following the sessions and Theatre Royal and Concert Hall are keen to be involved in future years.

Will you do anything differently to inform future planning in terms of family access to your venue as a result of the Family Arts Explorer experience?

We have our 160th anniversary open day very soon which will attract an audience of all ages, including children and young people, so it was good to see how different ages interacted on the tour and be able to think of this before this event.

From the families, Nottingham Playhouse

Laura Chambers & Tia Elvidge, Nottingham Playhouse

Parent Perspective

Did anything surprise you? What went well?

‘People here do a lot! We know what is happening behind the scenes now!’

‘Backstage surprised me!’

‘Seeing the costume-making and the stage’

‘The big paintings for the set backstage’

‘I was surprised I loved the drama games!’

‘The work that goes into everything’

It’s a nice experience to see backstage, the props and costumes’

What could have improved the experience?

‘It was just right’ ‘Nothing! – It was all good’ ‘It was fab’

‘A smaller group for the backstage tour’

‘More activities’

Children’s Perspective
What do you think you’ll remember most?
'’I explored the stage’

‘I met my friends and we did acting’

‘Dressing Up’ 'Me going into the dressing room!’

‘The Dragon!’

‘All the props’

What would you change to make this even better for other children visiting here?
‘To see drama’

Laura Chambers & Tia Elvidge, Nottingham Playhouse

Coming soon!

What had you planned to try out/ask the families during your session?

Did you get answers to your enquiries/testing out?

Did you learn anything else from the experience?

Who will you share your learning with across your organisation?

Will you do anything differently to inform future planning in terms of family access to your venue as a result of the Family Arts Explorer experience?

The Launch of Family Arts Explorers

Family Arts and Parent Power Academy

Background

Back in Jan 2020, staff and pupils from Sycamore and St Ann’s Well schools and other Citizens’ alliance members secured a pilot project providing 30 families with free bus travel from NCT for the summer. However, the pandemic and Covid lockdowns meant that our first Family Arts and Parent Power Academy took place 2 years later - in the Summer of 2022.

Nottingham City Transport, schools and cultural organisations navigated the pandemic and adapted their operating models. A renegotiation with senior leaders early in 2022 led to a reduction in the original offer with 30 families receiving 6 full day travel cards for the summer period. These were offered to Nottingham Citizens’ member schools, Sycamore Academy in St. Ann’s and Jubilee Primary in Bilborough for families in receipt of free school meals or on low income.

Families taking part

We are delighted to share with you the feedback from children and families who visited five different arts and cultural venues and reflected on their visits. Families were allocated travel cards, creativity packs, scrap books and a link to a Padlet to upload comments each week. What’s App groups for morning and afternoon groups were set up, regular reminders were sent and encouragements, messages and photos from weekly sessions were shared. Huge thanks to everyone involved!

Nottingham Citizens

This campaign was initiated by the Nottingham Citizens’ Young People’s action team in 2019 borne from a recognition that transport costs were a barrier to young people accessing the cultural experiences on offer through the City’s cultural sector. These venues were often low cost or free, so transport costs were significant, more so in the recent cost of living crisis.

Equally, we know that arts venues want to increase the participation of young people and families from across Nottingham’s diverse communities. Arts sector leaders are aware that families experience other barriers to participation too, so working with them to identify what made a successful experience would be vital learning and an opportunity for local people to impact local practice.

Nottingham Citizens - read more

Feedback: 4 August - Theatre Royal

From the families

David Longford, Creative Learning Manager

Good morning! Tizi came in thinking it was going to be boring but in the end he actually loved the experience and found it so interesting!

All the kids had a brilliant time the bits they loved the most were the dress circle seats, the crafts and being with their friends!

Mine said it would of been better especially for the little ones if they could of pretended to put on a show but they loved seeing back stage where they are not allowed and learning about the Latin words.

The kids liked the theatre but they said mummy we loved the bit of colouring and snacks but it was a little bit boring (sorry😁) because it was no show, no toys.

For me was very good experience, I learned a lot about the theatre how it works, I would like watch show there.

Lots of fun this morning! Thanks for having us

David Longford, Creative Learning Manager

What were your highlights from the day? Henry with the Henry Hoover; lots of really good questions, with children and adults asking questions about little details they were seeing round the building. It showed that they were interested and curious, which is very satisfying; often being too office and admin based it was just great to spend the day being engaged with the families; it also endorsed our TRCH learning brief of placing a lot of emphasis on heritage learning and working with young people – still a work in progress, but I was very pleased to the response and level of engagement.

Did you learn anything from the experience? First time that we had engaged this level of heritage work and adapting Georgina’s school work for families, which was really useful and now provides a useful template for future work.

Do you think you’ll share anything with your team, or do anything differently to inform future planning in terms of family access to the Theatre Royal, as a result of the programme? I think it would be useful for them to see their pictures and comments about their time with us. We do need to co-ordinate about seeing shows with these families, to give them access to the wider programme.

Georgina Donohue, Heritage Officer

David Longford, Creative Learning Manager

Georgina Donohue, Heritage Officer

"It is amazing families will have the chance to visit different cultural organisations over the summer and we really enjoyed welcoming everyone to the theatre."

What were your highlights from the day? Seeing the children and adults enjoy accessing the different spaces of the theatre (especially the stage/ dressing up) and hearing many had never been to the venue before or maybe once to a pantomime but were excited to be able to see all the different spaces and access areas only performers and staff get to see.

Did you learn anything from the experience? That it is really important to create opportunities for families to visit and offer a relaxed setting to enjoy spending time in the theatre spaces.

Do you think you’ll share anything with your team, or do anything differently to inform future planning in terms of family access to the Theatre Royal, as a result of the programme? We would love to do this on a more regular basis and being part of this wider programme and working in partnership has supported us to allow families to access the theatre this summer who may have not been to the theatre before.

Feedback: 9 August - Nottingham Contemporary

From the families

Lisa Jacques, Nottingham Contemporary

They all absolutely loved it yesterday and I will definitely take them again!

Callum said it was a really fun trip and Simeon said his highlight was that he made a new friend!

Feedback from Jackie, Tyler and Tia...

What went well? ‘Everything’
What could have improved the experience? ‘Nothing – everything was perfect as it is’. They felt happy, inspired and tired at the end!

Feedback from Olwyn

I'll tell my other grandchild to come - I think he'd like it too! I had no idea what was inside! I thought it was just going to be paintings - I didn't know we could make things too!

It's been brilliant - thank you!

Callum said it was a really fun trip and Simeon said his highlight was that he made a new friend!

Lisa Jacques, Nottingham Contemporary

What were your highlights from the day?

Meeting new people. Having conversations, getting to know you, and finding out what you like to do - making or play, or both! Seeing you experience Nottingham Contemporary, for many, the first time, and to see you making new friends. It was truly magical.

Did you learn anything from the experience?

Clearer messaging about our venue being free and open to everyone. More targeted promotion through schools for parents and carers to raise awareness of our free family offer. Light refreshments are a winner! (however, we did know that 😉)

Do you think you’ll share anything with your team, or do anything differently to inform future planning in terms of family access to the Contemporary as a result of the programme?

I will share the day, what we learnt and family feedback with my colleagues. We have already amended our website to include the bus route and are looking into clearer external signage based on the immediate feedback. I look forward to hearing from the families and the evaluation, to use this for development.

Feedback: August - Lakeside Arts

From the families

Artists Elaine Winter

From the Parents

Today I learnt more about my daughters interests and I was so engrossed in the knowledge she had about the artists and how they created what they had and how difficult the techniques would be.I cannot believe this has been here all along.I would of never known hadn’t I signed up to this!! Furthermore, the lovley tram journey and tour around the lakeside arts has well and truly out done my children.They are now sleeping. WINNER!! Fabulous day! Could not of changed my experience at all. Karmel.

I have always taken my children here and used the mini golf, park and enjoyed the walk however, I never realised that this was a gallery that I could take my children to visit. I will be visiting again it is a lovely experience and amazing that my child received the deeper thinking surrounding art. Loved it!

What did you enjoy about visiting Lakeside arts?
I liked going on the tram because we always go in the car. I really liked making the art and creating with paints and paper. Looking at other peoples art because I like art and it gives me ideas what to make and draw. It was peaceful in the gallery and I could think about what I was doing when I was making the material art too even though Avah was making noise.

Artists Elaine Winter

What were your highlights from the day?

Hearing the children (and parents) express how they felt about the artworks they felt connected to in the gallery and having the confidence to share those thoughts with us all was magical. Just seeing everyone working together in their groups was amazing too, their fabric art recreations were very special.

Did you learn anything from the experience?

Perhaps there could be more, ideally free, family learning opportunities at Lakeside? The gallery can seem like a quiet and remote place but it needn't be. Families talking about art should be celebrated and it would be lovely whenever possible to have some free activities for people to do to connect to the exhibition. We're not in charge of that side of things though. It was really interesting to hear how many had travelled to the park multiple times but not been in any of the galleries or museum.

Do you think you’ll do anything differently as a result of the programme?

The layout of the buildings is a bit confusing to first time visitors to Lakeside and the gallery/museum/recital hall block does can feel like a completely different organisation and as some of the families said 'part of the university and not somewhere for them to go'. Better signage might help? Something that tells you all the things you can do as you enter the gates to the park and where to find them? Or at the tram stop?

Artist Jane Stockley

Artists Elaine Winter

Artist Jane Stockley

What were your highlights from the day?

The afternoon group - their openness and engagement in the gallery and all the activities. My particular favourite or the thing I was most moved by was the family who created the tableau. The mum's idea and the children's intense positions as they physically recreated their chosen painting, beautiful.

Did you learn anything from the experience?

My work has been very children based over the last 6 months and it reminded me how much I enjoy family and community work and how I love meeting people :)

Do you think you’ll share anything with your team, or do anything differently to inform future planning for access to Lakeside Arts as a result of the programme?

How we can make Lakeside more open and welcoming to all families from across Nottingham but particularly those who come to Highfields park and are reluctant to come in to the buildings, how can we break down this barrier?

Feedback: August - Nottingham Playhouse

From the families

Martin Berry, Head of Participation at Nottingham Playhouse

Evie from Playhouse Participation team

Feedback from the Parents

Olwyn: 'Curious' before arriving and 'Inspired' after the visit. "Everything was interesting". Hadn't been before and would go again. Cost of travel would be an issue.

Jackie and Arron: "Everything went perfectly". Hadn't been before and would go again; lower cost of public transport would support future family trips.

Natasha: "I enjoyed the Prop room"

Rebecca: surprised that there are two seamstresses to make all the garments; how hot it was and no air con!

What could have improved the experience today? More for kids - allowed on stage; or allowed to try things on or make (pretend) costumes.

Children's Feedback (it was a v hot day!)

What would you change to make this even better for other children visiting here?
"The smell in the corridors - no air con".
"Go to more areas, do things faster"
"More time to do other things to make it more fun and exciting as well."
"Make your own play".
"Aircon and the activities, also invest in windows".

What do you think you'll remember most about today?
"Doing drama activities"
"The drama exercises. When we went all around the building and over all of the questions".
"The story of the sky mirror".
"I think it was a bit boring, there was lots of things we could have done and it was sooo hot but I did like the prop place, that was my fav bit."
"The backstage tour"

Evie from Playhouse Participation team

Martin Berry, Head of Participation at Nottingham Playhouse

Evie from Playhouse Participation team

What were your highlights from the day?

Seeing/experiencing the group cohesion and dynamic from start to the end of the session - the rise in overall confidence and getting to know new people. When adults joined in with the games and encouraged children to take part - supportive and kind environment.

Everyone was open to trying new things - a variety of levels of experience - some had done drama before and some hadn't - everyone got stuck in!

Did you learn anything from the experience?
A larger age range if parents and guardians are present - having more support staff in the room can work really successfully and provide meaningful opportunities for learning and play.

Specifically, young ones encourage a sense of play / silliness and older ones take a responsible role of imparting knowledge to younger ones which can be great for self-esteem.

Do you think you’ll do anything differently as a result of the programme?

Continue to include a budget for travel, where possible, for all participants - develop a robust process to ensure that those who face travel barriers are reached out to early in a recruitment process.

Martin Berry, Head of Participation at Nottingham Playhouse

What were your highlights from the day? Meeting a genuinely new cohort of visitors to the Playhouse. Seeing many of the parents get as much out of the day, if not more, than the young people. Seeing our practitioners learn 'in the moment' new ways to engage and adapt.

Did you learn anything from the experience?

Not learn so much as have various hunches confirmed. Some peoples' lives present enormous challenges and engaging in arts and culture is therefore understandably some way down their list of priorities.

I suppose we knew this already, but it was fascinating to see people of all ages engaging with art in a range of different ways according to their own interests and needs, whether that be visual arts, movement, games or even just supporting others.

Do you think you’ll share anything with your team, or do anything differently to inform future planning for access to Nottingham Playhouses as a result of the programme?

It's perhaps a little early to say, but certainly we are already reflecting as a team on how this work might inform our engagement going forward. We know of course that costs of travel are an issue for access, but actually the right kind of bespoke welcome, session content and session structure was very evidently just as vital. Getting people to the venues is a challenge, but it is equally important that they have a fantastic time on THEIR terms.

Feedback: August - Wollaton Hall

From the families

Rosny Hayward, Learning Programmes Officer

Children's Feedback

What do you think you'll remember most about today?
"Dinosaur and shiny rocks"
"I saw Titus"
"Walking around Wollaton Hall"
"Titus the dinosaur"

What would you change to make this even better for other children visiting here?
"Let children play"
"Adding more things to Wollaton Hall and Wollaton Park"
"I would put a pool or ball pit at Wollaton Park".
"My favourite day so far".

Rosny Hayward, Learning Programmes Officer

What were your highlights from the day?

Lovely to see all the families take part in the activities and enjoy Titus, some great conversations about dinosaurs! Great to hear people’s stories as well of coming to Wollaton Hall before and how the place is embedded in people’s experience.

Did you learn anything from the experience?

Yes! Hadn’t considered how far the walk is up the hill from the bus stop and then back down the hill to the lake for pond dipping, if we did this again we would plan something nearer the bottom of the hill or at the hall first to break up all the walking, although the group did brilliantly with this. The hall is free again now to get in, now Titus has gone, so lots of conversations about the cost and trying to keep Wollaton free as much as possible.

Do you think you’ll do anything differently as a result of the programme?

We need to be better at communicating access to groups and access needs to staff, the access isn’t great as it’s an old listed building and I know one family got stuck down by the lift to get out which we don’t want to happen again. Make sure we have free offers for specific groups, this is something we are looking to extend anyway so was great to get to ‘pilot’ what we might offer to groups.

Family Arts Explorers 2025

Background

On-going Contact

Nottingham Contemporary & National Justice Museum

From the families, Nottingham Contemporary

Ursula Rae, Nottingham Contemporary

From the families, National Justice Museum

From the families, National Justice Museum

From the families, National Justice Museum

Joanne Ayris, National Justice Museum

From the families, National Justice Museum

From the families, National Justice Museum

Wollaton Hall & Lakeside Arts

From the families, Wollaton Hall

From the families, Wollaton Hall

From the families, Wollaton Hall

Sue Mallender, Wollaton hall

From the families, Wollaton Hall

From the families, Wollaton Hall

From the families, Lakeside Arts

Rachel Feneley, Lakeside Arts

Theatre Royal and Nottingham Playhouse

From the families, Theatre Royal

From the families, Theatre Royal

From the families, Theatre Royal

Georgina Donohoe, Theatre Royal

From the families, Theatre Royal

From the families, Theatre Royal

From the families, Nottingham Playhouse

Laura Chambers & Tia Elvidge, Nottingham Playhouse

Laura Chambers & Tia Elvidge, Nottingham Playhouse

Laura Chambers & Tia Elvidge, Nottingham Playhouse

Laura Chambers & Tia Elvidge, Nottingham Playhouse

Laura Chambers & Tia Elvidge, Nottingham Playhouse

The Launch of Family Arts Explorers

Family Arts and Parent Power Academy

Nottingham Citizens

Feedback: 4 August - Theatre Royal

From the families

David Longford, Creative Learning Manager

David Longford, Creative Learning Manager

David Longford, Creative Learning Manager

David Longford, Creative Learning Manager

David Longford, Creative Learning Manager

Georgina Donohue, Heritage Officer

David Longford, Creative Learning Manager

Georgina Donohue, Heritage Officer

Feedback: 9 August - Nottingham Contemporary

From the families

Lisa Jacques, Nottingham Contemporary

Lisa Jacques, Nottingham Contemporary

Lisa Jacques, Nottingham Contemporary

Lisa Jacques, Nottingham Contemporary

Lisa Jacques, Nottingham Contemporary

Nottingham Contemporary

Feedback: August - Lakeside Arts

From the families

Artists Elaine Winter

Artists Elaine Winter

Artists Elaine Winter

Artists Elaine Winter

Artists Elaine Winter

Artist Jane Stockley

Artists Elaine Winter

Artist Jane Stockley

Lakeside Arts

Feedback: August - Nottingham Playhouse

From the families

Martin Berry, Head of Participation at Nottingham Playhouse

Evie from Playhouse Participation team

Evie from Playhouse Participation team

Martin Berry, Head of Participation at Nottingham Playhouse

Evie from Playhouse Participation team

Martin Berry, Head of Participation at Nottingham Playhouse

Martin Berry, Head of Participation at Nottingham Playhouse

Martin Berry, Head of Participation at Nottingham Playhouse

Nottingham Playhouse - August

Feedback: August - Wollaton Hall

From the families

Rosny Hayward, Learning Programmes Officer