Rugby Art Gallery and Museum shortlisted for prestigious award

The venue has made the shortlist for the best service team of the year award in the sports, leisure and cultural sector at the APSE Service Awards after adopting a new approach to programming following the pandemic.

By focusing on attracting new audiences and expanding the venue's community outreach work, Rugby Art Gallery and Museum welcomed record visitor numbers during 2023/24 and increased community engagement.

The venue has forged fruitful partnerships with a range of charities and community organisations to support its work, including Warwickshire Young Carers, Rugby Autism Network, Barnardo's children and family centres, the Rugby Home School Network and the Prince's Trust.

The Art Gallery and Museum's innovative community programming includes regular 'Relaxed Hours', where visitors on the autism spectrum can explore the venue in a calm, quiet environment, and the Good Times, which offers free sessions tailored to tackle loneliness and increase social interaction, specifically designed for people living with dementia.

In response to the rising cost of living, the Art Gallery and Museum hosts a weekly warm hub during the winter months and has worked with specialist charity Children's North East to identify - and help - families and individuals experiencing financial hardship to engage with the arts and heritage.

Cllr Maggie O'Rourke, Rugby Borough Council portfolio holder for partnerships and wellbeing, said making the shortlist for the APSE award was testament to the hard work of the whole Rugby Art Gallery and Museum team - including its growing team of volunteers, who dedicated more than 1,000 hours to the venue during 2023/24.

"Nationally, the cultural sector has struggled to return to pre-pandemic levels of visitor numbers and community engagement, so Rugby Art Gallery and Museum's innovative new approach to programming has helped buck the national trend and deliver tangible benefits to both our communities and the town centre economy," Cllr O'Rourke added.

"Making the shortlist for the APSE award for best service team in the sports, leisure and cultural sector follows the Art Gallery and Museum's shortlisting for the best community and neighbourhood initiative at last year's APSE awards, so the venue has built a national reputation for excellence in its field."

The APSE Service Awards celebrate excellence in the public sector. The award ceremony takes place at the Mercure Bristol Grand Hotel on Thursday 12 September.

In further good news for the venue, Rugby Art Gallery and Museum has retained its VisitEngland Quality Assured Visitor Attraction status following a recent inspection.

The venue secured an overall quality score of 85 per cent during the 'mystery shopper' inspection, with the inspector highlighting the warm and informative welcome provided by the team at Rugby Visitor Centre. 

Further praise was reserved for the gallery and museum staff, with the inspector noting: "The guides encountered in the galleries were all approachable and informative, proving very knowledgeable on the gallery and museum content when asked."

Other highlights singled out in the inspector's report included the venue's recent growth in visitor numbers, the overall cleanliness of the building and the "very high standard" of its fixed interpretation boards, and the venue's new café, Pickle & Pie @ The Gallery & Museum.

Cllr Neil Sandison, Rugby Borough Council's Liberal Democrat spokesperson for partnerships and wellbeing, said he was delighted the Art Gallery and Museum had retained the coveted quality assured status from VisitEngland.

Cllr Sandison added: "By widening and deepening its appeal to more diverse groups, Rugby Art Gallery and Museum is attracting more residents and visitors who may not have considered going in to this type of venue.

"This is very much down to the innovation and dedication of both staff and volunteers, and the warm welcome they offer visitors."

For more information about exhibitions and events at Rugby Art Gallery and Museum, visit www.ragm.co.uk