The National Museum of Computing needs your vote!
/Supporters and visitors to our museum are urged to vote for this national award to recognise our fantastic efforts to promote STEM education to the next generation of computer enthusiasts
The National Museum of Computing, Bletchley, 2 June 2022 - The National Museum of Computing (TNMOC) has been nominated for the Kids in Museums Family Friendly Museum Award 2022 and today sends out a request to our supporters and visitors for votes.
The prestigious awards recognise museums, galleries and heritage sites that provide a great experience for children, young people and families. It is the only museum award to be judged by families.
TNMOC’s expert volunteers are always on hand to bring the largest collection of historic computers in the world to life. We educate and inform people of all ages and levels of computing knowledge, and have a lively events calendar throughout the year which covers everything from retro gaming to encouraging girls into engineering.
Through our STEM Bytes Festivals during school holidays and most recently our Ambassador Kids Programme, we offer children the ability to engage with technologies like coding, virtual reality and 3D printing.
We’ve been celebrated for our inclusivity and diversity efforts. These range from holding regular Relaxed Openings that cater for the neurodiverse, to our major efforts to support girls in STEM and the free remote learning packages we have offered to hundreds of underprivileged students during the pandemic.
In 2021 we won the prestigious Heritage Education Trust Sandford Award, which recognises high-quality educational programs playing a role in preserving important parts of British history and heritage. The judges particularly commended our inclusion and diversity efforts and promotion of informal learning.
TNMOC is now appealing for families to share their experiences of visiting the museum with Kids in Museums to support our application.
Jacqui Garrad, the Museum Director, says: “We are delighted to have been nominated for the Family Friendly Museum Award, and know that we are an Accessible Museum worthy of the award. I am calling on everyone who has enjoyed a visit to the museum to send their experience to Kids in Museums so that our application is as strong as possible!”
To nominate TNMOC for the Family Friendly Museum Award, please visit the Kids in Museums website and fill in the online form: www.kidsinmuseums.org.uk/awards.
The deadline for nominations is 5pm on 6 June 2022.
In June, an expert panel will whittle down the nominations to a shortlist. Undercover family judges will then visit each shortlisted museum and assess them on how well they meet the Kids in Museums Manifesto. Their experiences will decide the winners. The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in October 2022.
About The National Museum of Computing
Located on Bletchley Park as an independent museum, The National Museum of Computing (TNMOC) brings to life the history and ongoing development of computing for the inspiration and enjoyment of both the general public and computing enthusiasts.
TNMOC acquires, conserves, restores, and rebuilds historic computing machinery and related artefacts. The museum displays and interprets its exhibits to tell the history of modern computing, with a particular emphasis on British contributions. Many of the exhibits are maintained in working condition and regularly demonstrated, including the Turing-Welchman Bombe and Colossus code breaking machines from WWII, the Harwell Dekatron Computer, the world’s oldest still working original computer dating from 1951, mainframe computers and minicomputers from the 1960s, 70s and 80s, through home and personal computers of the 90s, to modern tablet computers and smartphones.
The museum runs a highly successful Sandford Awarded learning programme for schools and colleges that introduces computing technology and coding to young people, to help inspire the next generation of computer scientists and engineers. It also runs a popular ongoing programme of hands-on activities during school holidays, offers lectures and interactive events, both on site and via remote Internet access.
About Kids in Museums
We are a charity dedicated to making museums open and welcoming to all children, young people and families. We support and champion family friendly organisations through wide-ranging initiatives, including the Family Friendly Museum Award and Takeover Day. We invite heritage organisations to sign up to our Manifesto, which sets out simple guidelines for making museums easy to reach for all ages. www.kidsinmuseums.org.uk