Arts Trust Shortlisted for the 2025 Fantastic for Families Awards!
We’re absolutely thrilled to share that Arts Trust has been shortlisted for the 2025 Fantastic for Families Awards for our flagship programme, Summer in the Park.
This national recognition from the Family Arts Campaign celebrates the UK’s most inspiring creative opportunities for families and older people. To be named among 26 exceptional organisations transforming lives through creativity is a true honour, and a wonderful moment for all the incredible artists, partners and community members who make Summer in the Park possible.
Awards like this shine a light on the immense hard work that goes into co-creating free, inclusive arts experiences that bring communities together. They also remind us just how vital it is to fund and sustain these opportunities, which have a proven impact on wellbeing and social cohesion.
In 2025 alone, Summer in the Park brought together over 3,000 audience members, 136 community participants, and 113 employees, including 245 young people under 30 working as stewards, crew and technical staff. Across ten events in parks and open spaces, our festivals united families, reduced isolation and created a sense of shared ownership and pride in public spaces.
As one audience member beautifully put it:
“It’s just what we needed in this area — somewhere the kids can come and have fun. Fun for all the family and dog. We’ll definitely come next year — and even better that it’s free!”
That sense of joy, connection, and accessibility sits at the heart of everything we do — and being recognised nationally for it is a wonderful milestone for our growing community.
About the Fantastic for Families Awards
The Fantastic for Families Awards, organised by the Family Arts Campaign, showcase the real innovation, creativity, and impact made by cultural opportunities across the UK. This year’s finalists demonstrate how cultural engagement can improve wellbeing, foster belonging, and provide vital support for families and older people during challenging times.
The 2025 shortlist is part of 26 Stories of Family Arts — a collection celebrating creativity, connection, and community. The awards span three categories:
Best Family Arts Activity
Best Age-Friendly Outreach
Audience Impact and Innovation
We’re proud that Summer in the Park has been shortlisted in the Best Family Arts Activity category alongside other inspiring initiatives such as The Story Shell, Here Be Dragons, SoundHoppers, and The Backyard - Wildings Sessions.
Anna Dever, Executive Director of the Family Arts Campaign, said:
“The Fantastic for Families Awards celebrate the incredible work taking place across the UK to create safe, welcoming and joyful experiences for families. The 2025 shortlist showcases inspiring examples of organisations, artists and venues working tirelessly to deliver outstanding artistic work and provide life-changing experiences for those most in need.”
Why This Matters
For Arts Trust Productions, this recognition underscores our ongoing mission: to use creativity to connect people, reduce isolation and empower communities.
We’ve seen firsthand how local, free festivals can transform a neighbourhood, offering moments of respite, togetherness and shared imagination. But sustaining this work depends on ongoing support and investment. Every partnership, grant and act of advocacy helps us continue to make culture accessible to all.
We’d like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all our partners for their ongoing support and commitment to both Arts Trust and the Summer in the Park programme. Our work would not be possible without the belief and generosity of our principal funder, The National Lottery Community Fund, alongside the Weston Garfield Foundation, The Royal Parks, The Royal Borough of Greenwich, and Peabody. Their continued partnership enables us to deliver free, high-quality cultural experiences that unite communities, nurture local pride and build lasting connections across London and the South East.
Celebrate With Us
🏆 Winners will be announced on Thursday 20 November 2025 – wish us luck! 🤞
🙌 You can support us and the wider family arts sector by joining the online awards ceremony.
🎟️ Find out more and book your free tickets here
A heartfelt thank you to our partners — Peabody, The National Lottery Community Fund, Royal Borough of Greenwich, Canterbury Christ Church University, CC Events, Kings Place, and our brilliant community panels — for walking this journey with us. This achievement belongs to you too. 💚
#26StoriesofFamilyArts #FantasticForFamiliesAwards2025
Would you like me to add a short quote from you (Martin Collins, Artistic Director) to make this blog even more personal and media-friendly? For example, something like:
“This nomination means so much to our team and the communities we work with. Summer in the Parkbegan as a local idea and has grown into something that truly connects people across generations. Recognition like this helps us continue that mission — proving that when we invest in culture, we invest in people.”