The Flexible Family Ticket
- Mum plus her four kids.
- Dad plus his only child, and the young cousin who lives with them.
- Grandparents and their grandchildren for whom they care.
- Big sister and very little sister, whom she looks after.
- Mum, Dad, Auntie and her daughter.
What’s the shape of a typical family ticket to a museum or gallery?
- Two plus two.
Even museums with free entry often charge for special exhibitions or events. The result is that today’s families, of all shapes and sizes, often feel unwelcome in Britain’s museums and galleries.
SO WHAT ARE WE DOING ABOUT IT?
As the first step of the Flexible Family Ticket campaign, we’ve launched the Family Ticket Watch. We’re asking families three questions:
- What has been your experience of a family ticket?
- Did it fit your family?
- What would you like a family ticket to look like?
We’ll publish the results in April, along with recommendations for a Flexible Family Ticket format for museums and galleries to adopt, so family tickets truly reflect the face of families in Britain.
HAVE YOUR SAY
Help shape the family tickets of the future by answering the three questions above and telling us what you think.
| Email: | yourview@familyticketwatch.org.uk |
| Call: | 020 7022 1888 |
| Tweet: |  http://twitter.com/familyticket |
| Write to us | Family Ticket Watch Kids in Museums Downstream Building One London Bridge London SE1 9BG |
The responses from families have been flooding in and here are just a few of the comments so far:
“Family tickets aren’t usually good enough value for a family with one child.”
“I would like a family ticket to include all five of us.”
“It would be great if regardless of whether a family comprises of two mummies, two daddies etc we are all entitled to be treated as a family.”
“Family tickets encourage us to get together - we love them!”
“My husband is currently serving in Afghanistan and can’t accompany us to any events. It’s quite upsetting to be classed as a ‘non-family’ when he’s away.”
This consultation has been commissioned and is being funded by Department for Children, Schools and Families and is supported by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
Ed Balls MP said:
“We want all families, what ever their shape or size, to enjoy the magic of museums and galleries together. That’s why we have asked Kids in Museums to do a national consultation for us on family tickets. Grandparents, aunts and uncles as well as children of all ages should benefit from family discounted tickets and we want to make sure that all museums and galleries adopt a flexible approach in the future.”
Mariella Frostrup, Patron of Kids in Museums, said:
“Visits to museums and galleries should be at the heart of family life, there are few better places to spend quality time with your kids and also give them an enriching and memorable experience. Most museums offer a family ticket but it’s increasingly rare for families to fit the 2 x 2 standard that remains the norm. Why shouldn’t you bring along your Mum, Dad and Stepmother too, or perhaps Granny fancies a day out? We’re delighted that the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, Ed Balls has decided to support our campaign for National Guidelines for a a flexible family ticket that will welcome all families whatever their shape and size.”
IN THE NEWS
Read all about the campaign and an exciting competition we ran with the Mirror. The campaign was also in the Guardian and Telegraph, and on Radio 4’s Front Row and You and Yours programmes.
ABOUT US
Kids in Museums is an independent charity, working with museums to make them more welcoming to families, in particular those who have never had the opportunity to visit before. Kids in Museums believes by changing museums, we can change lives, giving opportunities and experiences to new families.
Find out more at www.kidsinmuseums.org.uk
