TV presenter Konnie Huq has said it is “really important” to encourage children to be interested in arts and culture, adding: “It’s a no-brainer.”
The former Blue Peter star, 51, has backed the 2026 Kids Aloud initiative, which encourages children and their parents to feel welcome in cultural spaces such as museums and galleries.
The campaign, on behalf of charity Art Fund, will see over 60 participating museums across the UK allocate specific hours for children to visit, during which they can express themselves freely and noisily.
In an interview with the Press Association, Huq explained why she is so passionate about the project – which is in its third year.
She said: “It is really important to get our kids interested in the arts and ignite their passion for learning at a young age.
“This whole initiative is all about that.”
The mother-of-two continued: “Most of us parents know what it’s like, having a lot of time to kill and bored children on your hands.
“The worries that parents have are that their kids will be loud or disruptive or disturb other people – but people know it’s the summer holidays.”
“We want young people to be interested in the arts, in museums, in galleries, in culture, and to be knowledgeable,” Huq added.
Museums across the UK, such as FE McWilliam Gallery in Northern Ireland and St Fagans National Museum of History in Cardiff, will hold events encouraging kids and their families to visit.
Huq said: “If you can entertain and educate (children) at the same time, and have activities to do over the two months or one-and-a-half months of the summer holidays, it’s a win-win situation.
“It’s really important, no matter where you live, to get kids enthused about culture, the arts, knowledge. It’s a no-brainer, really.”
Huq is best known for being on Blue Peter for 11 years, serving as the longest-serving female presenter in the show’s history, and she has also hosted programmes such as The Xtra Factor and King Of The Nerds.
The broadcaster was joined by Jenny Waldman, the director of Art Fund, at an event at the Foundling Museum in London on Wednesday to launch the 2026 Kids Aloud campaign.
Ms Waldman told PA: “All of this is to say to parents: It’s the summer holidays, kids are allowed in museums, they’re also allowed to make a noise.
“They’re allowed to do things. They’re allowed to be creative, even messy – all of that is part of just getting the museum habit.”
“The summer holidays is for kids in museums, and Kids Aloud is the epitome of that,” she added.
New research by Art Fund found that 65% of parents to children under 11 years old are too worried or embarrassed to take their children to museums or galleries this summer.
The charity also found that 90% of parents believe that visiting a museum or gallery is good for their children but 33% expressed concerns around noise and 32% about damaging items when discussing reasons that may stop them going.
Among the museums offering family-friendly events this summer are the Brighton Museum And Art Gallery, Leeds Museums and Galleries, The Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge and Victoria Art Gallery in Bath.
Further information can be found on the Art Fund website.
