We’re thrilled that the Migration Museum’s Front of House team has won the Visitor Welcome Award at the 2025 Museums + Heritage Awards.

Our front of house team’s warmth, care and curiosity made the Migration Museum in Lewisham a place where people came back to again and again — sometimes just for a chat or a quiet moment on the community sofas, at other times to spend an hour or more exploring our exhibitions.

Whether supporting emotional conversations, offering sensory tools for neurodivergent visitors, or simply greeting everyone who walks through our doors with a smile, our team makes the Migration Museum a space where everyone can feel they belong.

This national award celebrates the very best in visitor experience, and we are honoured to be recognised for creating one of the most welcoming, inclusive, and engaging museum environments in the UK.

From teens dropping in after school, to community elders, long-time supporters, parents with toddlers, first-time museum-goers, and even those who may be unsure about their links to migration, we aim to make everyone who visits the Migration Museum feel welcome. That belief is at the heart of everything we do — and it’s wonderful to have it acknowledged on this scale. 

We were shortlisted in a prestigious field alongside Derby Museums Trust Visitor Experience Team | Museum of Making, Nothe Fort operated by Weymouth Civic Society Wanting to make a difference: Visitor Experience at Nothe Fort, Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust The Historic Dockyard Chatham and Young V&A Young V&A Front of House Team. Congratulations to all of our colleagues who were shortlisted in this category.

The award, decided by a panel of independent judges with extensive experience across the museums and heritage sector, was announced at a glittering ceremony at the Hilton Park Lane, London, known as the ‘Oscars of the Museum World’, on Thursday 15 May.

Frances Ewings, Front of House Gallery Supervisor, said: “Thank you to the judges and a huge thank you to our Migration Museum visitors that support us, whether you’ve visited us once or are our regular faces. We’re thrilled to have our front of house work recognised through this award”

“At the Migration Museum, we pride ourselves on being welcoming to everyone – and as we have until recently been located in a shopping centre in Lewisham, south-east London, this really does mean everyone! From curious shoppers to those who have travelled across the country to see our exhibitions, we strive to ensure our work is accessible to all.”

“As we look ahead to our move to a permanent home in the City of London, opening in 2028, we plan to take what we’ve built in Lewisham with us and show that welcoming and supporting visitors is a crucial part of their experience and what people take away from the museum.”

“We hope to be an example of how the Front of House work is as vital as exhibitions, learning and programming in order for visitors to truly experience a museum’s values.”

To all of you who have visited, shared your story, brought friends or family, left kind comments in our welcome book, or recommended us to a friend — thank you. This award is for you, too.