Family Friendly: Final Report – Summer 2001By Arts About Manchester (£12.50 [£15.34 inc p&p]) The Family Friendly Final Report, and accompanying cd-rom, summarises the story of Arts About Manchester’s Family Friendly project that developed over three years (1998-2001). The partners in the project were mainly museums and galleries, and this report is probably of most interest for practitioners in these sectors, although other arts and non-arts partners were also involved. The aim of the project was to better meet the needs of families throughout the year. The report contains a number of case studies within its chapters, the most interesting being the ideas that were developed to improve family provision and to help families engage: check out Bury Art Gallery & Museum’s book to help families engage with paintings in the gallery, The Problem with Pictures; the Pump House People’s History Museum activity trolley (including folding stools and paper and pencil based activities that families can take round the museum) and the Whitworth Art Gallery’s Globetrotter Backpacks. The report also serves to remind us of the importance of word of mouth and the endorsement of other families to provide reassurance; that it is as important to offer information about comfort factors and logistics as about the content of an event to families planning a trip; and the importance of being able to offer physical interaction, including touching, for children. As the report effectively gives a summarised overview of the project, the key learning points are relatively broad, focusing on organisational commitment and approach and the nature of the whole experience.
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