Why Become A V&A Friend? / V&A Members' Films / Happenings / V&A Channel

Elizabeth Singleton, V&A Friend

The reason I became a member is because I loved it and I thought it was nice to be part of something that I believed was wonderful.

Ken Draper, V&A Friend

Well at a very practical level, you can get in and out of exhibitions easily and for free once you’ve paid your membership but I think the big thing that I started to enjoy is that you can go to exhibitions comfortably more than once.

Marina Vaizey, Chairman & V&A Friend

There’s a whole range of special events and you get terrific discounts, I know you shouldn’t talk about getting something for nothing. There’s a wonderful magazine, it’s the only major publication that reaches out to the general public.

Elizabeth Singleton

I became a member about three years ago and it was actually a birthday present from my brother, a very nice present I must say. And I thought if anything else it will make me come to the Museum more.

Ken Draper

It’s a building that gets hold of you because if you are going to look for a specific thing, you’re going to see one hundred other things on your way there and I think that’s a tremendous strength compared with some other places. I mean it is a way of you, albeit in a very modest way of helping acquisitions, things the museum wants and it’s got to go on developing and improving it’s collection. I mean it’s fantastic but it’s only fantastic because in the past people have gone on developing it.

Marina Vaizey

I’ve been a member of the friends of the V&A twelve years but I’ve known the V&A for forty, forty-five years and I have seen it transform itself in to one of the most exciting museums in the world. I think you will enjoy it because you want to support the museum but in turn you get a lot of benefit.

Sir Mark Jones, Director of the V&A

Friends are people who like the V&A, who come to know the V&A, who want to be part of it. Free admission is of course part of that, the Friends Room is part of it but I think that now more than ever the V&A needs the help of it’s friends. What it does I think is really important in the national interest, it’s really enjoyable to be part of and friends membership is a way of sustaining that.