People’s History Museum (PHM) is famous the world over for its banners, so this Easter holidays it is holding a Banner Bonanza. This Family Friendly extravaganza will be taking place at PHM to fill it with banner inspired colourful creativity and fun, from Friday 29 March to Friday 12 April (11.00am to 3.00pm). All of the activities are free to take part in and you can just drop in, with no need to book in advance.
On the galleries is where you will find the famous banners, some part of the permanent displays and some part of the 2024 Banner Exhibition. These textile artworks, which range from being over 200 years old to only two years old, are the inspiration to the activities taking place in the museum during the Easter holidays. Making the headlines is a project that will see the creation of two huge banners by families visiting the museum; one will explore changes that they would like to see in Greater Manchester and one will share messages of hope. Visitors will be able to see the banners as they are created and PHM will also be sharing the results on social media.
There will be lots of colourful craft materials available to use, with the activity designed for children aged 5 to 12 years to participate in with their families. The activity space will also be filled with images of the banners in the 2024 Banner Exhibition not only to inspire people, but also so that they can vote for their favourite from the class of 2024.
Fancy some more banner inspired entertainment? Then what about a game of Banner Snap, which you can play with a friend, or Banner Bingo, which takes place on the galleries. For Banner Bingo you can collect a players’ card from the welcome desk, then start your search for the symbols you need to spot, including a star, rainbow, sword and crown. Whether you are shouting ‘snap’ or ‘house’ these are great ways for younger visitors to discover more about the stories of democracy, protest and the fight for a fairer world that are told at People’s History Museum.
Food and refreshments are an important addition to a museum day out. Open Kitchen Cafe & Bar at PHM is serving Family Friendly choices that include sandwiches, pasta and pizza priced from £3.50, which is also ethically and locally sourced. For those who want to bring their own lunch there is a dedicated picnic space inside the museum.
People’s History Museum’s opening hours are 10.00am to 5.00pm, every day except Tuesdays. Museum entry is free, with most visitors donating £10. All the Family Friendly activities featured in the Banner Bonanza are free to take part in. Banner Bonanza is part of the Make Your Mark programme of Family Friendly activities, which PHM delivers during each school holidays (dates co-ordinate with Manchester school holidays). To find out about visiting PHM, its full exhibitions and events programme visit phm.org.uk and you can keep up to date with the latest news by signing up to receive PHM’s e-newsletter.
ENDS
For further information, to arrange a visit or interview please contact Fido PR:
laura.sullivan@fidopr.co.uk / clare.short@fidopr.co.uk
A selection of images is available here. The individual banners featured are all in the 2024 Banner Exhibition:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/ubkcbk9b29a3snsax3qko/h?rlkey=nnu60muamx7xrsf4fchcb5der&dl=0
Notes to editors:
About People’s History Museum (PHM)
People’s History Museum (PHM) in Manchester is the UK’s national museum of democracy, telling the story of its development in Britain: past, present, and future. Through an eclectic and colourful mix of historic and contemporary collections, featuring banners, badges, posters, photography and more, the museum celebrates the radical stories of people coming together to champion ideas worth fighting for.
Offering an engaging programme of exhibitions and events, collaborating with communities to create authentic content, the museum is Family Friendly throughout – inspiring the next generation to be active citizens.
People’s History Museum encourages visitors to be empowered by the past to make a change for the future. We are all together in the fight for a fairer world.
About Arts Council England (ACE)
PHM is an Arts Council England (ACE) National Portfolio Organisation (NPO). The work of PHM is supported using public funding by ACE, the national development agency for creativity and culture. ACE have set out their strategic vision in Let’s Create that by 2030 they want England to be a country in which the creativity of each of us is valued and given the chance to flourish and where every one of us has access to a remarkable range of high quality cultural experiences. From 2023 to 2026 they will invest over £467million of public money from government and an estimated £250million from The National Lottery each year to help support the sector and to deliver this vision.
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