Six weeks ago we announced the shortlist for the first annual Hoop Awards with the goal of celebrating family organisers and helping parents share their favourite family activities.

Today we’re excited to share the results recognising one winner and two runner-ups in each category.

It’s fair to say that we were completely overwhelmed by the response from families eager to share their favourites with over 45,000 votes cast! The winning people and organisations clearly have a special relationship with families across the country. Thousands of parents were quick to support the people that make their children smile.

As you’ll see from the list of winners, it’s great to see a mix of Organisations covering the top spots from national institutions which invest heavily in their family programmes such as the Natural History Museum (Best Cultural Attraction) to popular franchises like Little Kickers (Best for Toddlers) through to local institutions like Solihull Libraries (Best Free Activities) and small independent start-ups like Music with Mike (Best for Mini-Performers).

Music with Mike: Winner - Best for Mini-Performers & Hoop Hero, Brighton

We’re also particularly proud to announce a Hoop Hero in each city that recognises the people that have inspired kids the most in the last twelve months. Here’s a run down of the winners in each city:

• Birmingham: Hayley Mcnutt from Allens Croft Children’s Centre
• Brighton: Music Mike from Music with Mike
• Bristol: Hannah Ball from Shout Out!
• Edinburgh: Rachel Higgins from Monkey Music
• Glasgow: Katy Carey, Kate Harwood, Ian McBain, Catriona Mitchell and Lisa Rafiq from Gymboree Play & Music (an overwhelming number of votes for team members at Gymboree Play & Music forced us to recognise everyone voted for at the Bearsden/Milngavie centre in Glasgow)
• Leeds: Kimberley Raja from Shake Rattle & Boogie
• Liverpool: Laura Donaldson from Moo Music
• London: Hayley Gunawarna from Baby Sensory & Moya McGinn from ZipZap (the top two were tied with the same number of votes)
• Manchester: Richard Law from Shooting Stars Football Academy
• Nottingham: Hannah Lindahl from Little Signers Club
• Sheffield: Dawn Short from WiggleTots

Huge congrats to everyone involved!

Gloworm Festival — Top Family Festivals

Families also voted for their favourite Cultural Attraction and Family Festival. With votes for organisations spanning the breadth of the country.

Top Family Cultural Attractions 2018

1. Natural History Museum (London)
2. Science Museum (London)
3. National Museum of Scotland (Edinburgh)
4. Eureka (Halifax)
5. Horniman Museum (London)
6. V&A (London)
7. MOSI (Manchester)
8. Tate Modern (London)
9. We the Curious (Bristol)
10. London Transport Museum (London)

Top Family Festivals

1. Camp Bestival
2. Wilderness
3. Geronimo
4. Latitude
5. The Big Feastival
6. Standon Calling
7. Just So
8. Curious Arts Festival
9. Deer Shed
10. Gloworm

We’re now in the process of contacting all the winners directly to coordinate their prizes. Not only do they get bragging rights for the next year having been voted as a firm family favourite, but they’ll also be receiving a package of extra marketing exposure on Hoop as well as a few Hoop goodies through the post.

With such an amazing response, we’re looking to make the awards even bigger and better next year, so if you didn’t get the chance to vote this year or missing out on winning this year, know that 2019 has even more in store.

Thanks again for everyone’s support and happy Hooping!