The Herd Theatre has been recognised by the national Family Arts Campaign for their outstanding contribution to family-friendly arts and culture in 2024-25.
The Herd Theatre are thrilled to share that they have won the Audience Impact & Innovation Award in the Fantastic for Families Awards 2025 for Counting Sheeps. These national awards celebrate outstanding opportunities created for families and older audiences to access creative opportunities and enhance wellbeing through arts and cultural activities.
Award-winners were selected out of over 135 applications, initially shortlisted to 26 organisations from across the United Kingdom. Each of the shortlisted projects were recognised and celebrated by the Family Arts Campaign through sharing their Stories of Family Arts engagement, ahead of the winners being announced.
The Audience Impact & Innovation Award recognises the achievements of creative organisations or cultural event organisers who have demonstrated innovation and adaptability to reach and make a difference to families in need. The judges for this category were Zoe Dennington, Education Director at Open City, and Karla Barnacle Best, Lecturer at the Institute for Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship, Goldsmiths, University of London.
The judges said: “We are delighted to recognise Counting Sheeps as this year’s winner. Its beautifully crafted, sensory-led performance was matched by an impressive co-production process and a truly innovative hyper-local audience development strategy; so successful that 40% of families returned to see the show again! It met every part of our award criteria with clarity, creativity and care.”
Anna Dever, Executive Director of Family Arts Campaign, said: “The 2025 Fantastic for Families Awards have once again showcased the remarkable creativity, inclusivity, and dedication of organisations across the UK. This year’s winners stand out for their thoughtful, collaborative approaches and their commitment to ensuring everyone can experience the joy of the arts — co-creating imaginative, inclusive experiences that make a real difference in people’s lives. Congratulations to all our 2025 award winners!
“We are over the moon that Counting Sheeps has been recognised for its care for our audiences and for innovation in reaching babies, children and their families. Our priority is reaching children who don’t always have access to excellent artistic experiences. We know Hull doesn’t have long runs of shows like this at its theatres, or much opportunities for early years arts more widely. We spent a lot of time working with babies to make this show, and have a team of dedicated, incredible performers who really cared about the experience of every little one that came. A huge thanks to all the families that came to see it (and especially those that came back to see it again!)”
Fantastic For Families Awards are given by Family Arts Campaign, which is the largest national, cross-art form initiative to increase access to arts and culture for families of all ages. The Family Arts Campaign is funded by Arts Council England and is a National Portfolio Organisation within the national Let’s Create strategy.
Visit www.familyarts.co.uk/awards-winners-2025 to find out more and see the full list of Fantastic For Families Awards winners.