Opening of Family Area at the Royal Naval Museum
A new Family Area at the Royal Naval Museum for the under 5s was officially opened today to plenty of smiling adventurous young faces eager to try out the dressing up, soft toys, games, puzzles and lots more – all with a nautical theme, of course!
‘This is the latest stage in making sure our galleries have something for all the family’, says Deborah Hodson, Learning Manager at the Museum and the inspiration behind the idea. ‘Families have children of different ages and this will give the little ones something to do while the older ones enjoy our exhibitions.’
The Family Area can be found in the Museum’s Victory Gallery and is open everyday.
Decorating and equipping the Family Area was funded from a £10,000 donation from the Friends of the Royal Naval Museum and HMS Victory for improvements to the Museum’s facilities for learning and family activities. ‘We are delighted to be helping the Museum broaden its appeal,’ says Friends Chairman, Rear Admiral Richard Irwin. ‘Though in my case it will be the grandchildren who benefit !’
This had been a busy period for the Royal Naval Museum’s Learning Department. In March over 400 under 5-year-olds visited the Museum for Sea Your World Early Years Week, while Deborah Hodson and her colleague, Claire Jordan, also visited Paulsgrove Childrens Centre and the John Pounds Centre to run 3 outreach sessions as part of the PUSH 4 Culture initiative.
‘We are very keen to show children that museums can be fun places’, says Deborah, who has been at the Museum for 4 years. ‘Furthermore we are a resource for the community: I am delighted that Push 4 Culture has also enabled us to get out into Portsmouth and work with children who would probably never have the opportunity to visit the Museum’.
A full programme of family holiday activities can be found in the Events section of the website www.historicdockyard.co.uk/events
Photos courtesy of Sean Hounsell
