Help us shape our family visitor experience

We regularly review our programmes and initiatives to make sure they remain relevant and respond to the interests and needs of our audiences. The family programme was paused in 2024 in order to review it and to ensure that we continue to effectively serve as many families and children as possible.

We’d love to hear from family and friend groups. This means that to take part, you should be in a group which includes both adults and children. There is no minimum or maximum age limit, but at least one child in each group must be aged 16 or under.

We know every family looks different so any type of family and friend group can take part. This means that your group doesn’t just have to be immediate parents and guardians with their children. Your group could include grandparents, extended family members, close family friends – anyone who is a regular part of your family and friends’ days out is welcome to join as part of your group, but at least one child in each group must be aged 16 or under.

Those taking part will be expected to attend and participate in two workshops between February and May 2025, which will consist of discussions and relaxed workshop activities; share their experiences, ideas, feedback and insights in person and online; and help us test new ideas.

We would need you to attend at least two sessions at the Old Royal Naval College between February and May 2025.

The first group session will take place on Wednesday 19 February 2025. Timings for these sessions are still being confirmed, but sessions would likely start mid to late morning, and finish in the early to mid-afternoon.

We would also need to communicate with you via email and will need you to respond accordingly. This will be to share details about any upcoming sessions and gather additional feedback from you when needed. For example, if we come up with a new idea, we may ask for you to share your initial thoughts briefly over email before we move forward with it.

Each session will be slightly different, but the main things to expect are to explore the site, engage with our family resources and current offer, sharing your opinion, testing out new ideas (such as trails or specific activities) and spending time with other family and friend groups in a relaxed workshop setting. Lunch breaks will be built into the sessions, and there will be refreshments provided.

The workshop elements will be relaxed, often involving group or one-on-one discussion and low-pressure games to help us get your opinions. We know that it can be daunting to take part in group activities, but no one will be put on the spot or made to take part in a way that they don’t feel comfortable to. Workshop activities will also be adapted to suit the age ranges joining us – so even the youngest voices will be heard.

We are looking to ideally engage with local and neighbouring communities, so will prioritise working with families living within 3 miles of our site. However, if you are keen to get involved, we are happy to hear from those a little further afield.

On days when you attend a group session, you will visit the site for free and receive travel reimbursement for your whole group (covering from your home address to the site, and back). We will also provide vouchers to cover lunch for your group at our on-site catering offers during your visit.

At the end of the project, your household will receive a goody bag, and an Annual Pass to the Old Royal Naval College, which provides year-round access to the Painted Hall, tours and exhibitions for no extra cost.

We do not have general visitor car parking, and so we ask that families must be able to reach us via public transport rather than driving, unless travelling by car is necessary due to access needs.