PLEASED by great news for Derby’s Museum of Making, which has just been awarded a Special Commendation in the prestigious European Museum of the Year Awards 2024 – one of only two UK attractions to be honoured.

The EMYAs are the ‘Oscars’ of the museum world, and the Derby site, which celebrates 300 years of innovation in and around the city, has been selected from among 50 diverse nominations from 24 countries.

Judges said the £18 million attraction, which stands on the banks of the River Derwent, at the site of the world’s first factory, was an example of how the industrial past can be used to inspire future invention.

In particular, they said, the museum shows “how industrial heritage can be used in a participatory way to enhance the skills of its visitors and make STEM inclusive and connected to contemporary society”.

Special Commendations are given only to museums that have developed a new and innovative approach in specific aspects of their public service and from which other European museums can learn.

The headline winner of the European Museum of the Year Award 2024 was The Sámi Museum Siida – pictured below – the national museum of the Sámi people of Finland, the only recognised indigenous culture in Europe.

The other UK success was London’s Museum of the Home, which was awarded the Meyvaert Museum Prize for Environmental Sustainability at the ceremony.

Read more: Half a million bricks needed for Derby LEGO marathon

The awards were announced at the EMYA2024 Annual Conference and Awards Ceremony, which took place last week in Portimão. For opening hours at the Museum of Making see the official website, and for info about the area, head to Visit Derby.