Born in Sheffield and a painter himself, he has a keen interest in the arts. He has four children – Ruby, aged six, Hattie, four, and twins Polly and Ivor, three. Together with his wife Amanda they've tried and tested many of the region's family-friendly venues and share with us their favourite places.

St Ives

St Ives in Cornwall has to be my most favourite place on earth. It's got everything – four beaches, brilliant weather, beautiful seas and above all the 'light' – painters' light. It's crisp and clear and illuminates the sand, the stone of the houses, the lichen-covered roofs and everything it touches with a brilliant luminescence. It's no accident that St Ives has sustained a thriving artist colony for more than 100 years and continues to draw artists to this day.

And, of course, now there's a Tate Gallery, as well as Barbara Hepworth's studio and garden now converted into an excellent museum that is a little oasis of tranquillity in the middle of the busy town.

We go back to St Ives year after year and will heading down there after the festival this year, too.

Cannon Hall Farm

Cannon Hall at Cawthorne near Barnsley and its grounds are great but it's the open farm behind the hall that we particularly like. Unlike a lot of other open farms there's plenty of space and it has the added attraction of an adventure playground.

But of course it's the animals we go to see. We all seem to like the goats best but that's no surprise as we used to have three as pets. These are pygmy goats mainly and are always up to no good and more than happy to steal what's left of the animal food you bought on the way in as well as eating the bag, too.

After feeding all the animals and going on every bit of the adventure playground we head off home and the kids are usually asleep in the car within five minutes – money well spent.

Graves Art Gallery

Graves Art Gallery is a gem. Hidden away at the top of Central Library it's packed full of brilliant paintings. It has everything from Dutch Masters to Pop Art and includes a Turner and an exquisite little painting by Gwen John.

The thing about the gallery, though, is its atmosphere – it's friendly and welcoming, not huge expanses of space where you dare hardly breathe like some galleries.

If you work in the city it's easy to nip out in your lunch break and have a look round. But do what I do – go once every couple of weeks and the first time just have look round at everything. But then, when you go again, just spend your 15 or 20 minutes looking at one painting. I know it sounds an odd thing to do but it's really very relaxing – and nobody will tell you off for doing this!

I recommend you start with the Peter Blake painting – I guarantee you'll be amazed at just what you see in that painting if you really look. And you'll come out feeling refreshed and ready to start again.

Yorkshire Sculpture Park

YSP is amazing.
Not only is a wide open space perfect for kids to let off steam in, it's also full of some of the best sculpture you could wish to see – works by Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth because of the local connection but also contemporary work by Sir Anthony Caro and Barry Flanagan.

And recently, of course, a series of installations in the new underground gallery by Andy Goldsworthy. These were very simple pieces but stunning. My 95-year-old granny thought they were breathtaking – she was right.

Sheffield City Hall

We've been going to the City Hall for years and my wife, who plays violin, has done many concerts there. And recently, since having our children, we've all gone along and sat in on her rehearsals.

My kids always think this is a bit special – having the massive City Hall to themselves, being able to sit where they want and, of course, spotting mum on stage. The staff at the City Hall are always really friendly, too, and they always make a fuss of the kids.

We recently saw a children's concert there, with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and the legendary Chris Jarvis (a presenter on children's TV, for those not familiar with CBeebies). The concert was great and we hope they come back next year.

Weston Park Museum

If you haven't been to Weston Park Museum for a few years you're in for a surprise as it's really changed. We love it and never tire of going back. It's been completely redesigned and refitted in recent years and caters for children like no other museum I've ever been in. It has all sorts of intriguing cubby holes, corners, flaps and hidden places for children to discover.

We've lots of favourite places in the museum including the rubber igloo, the invested kitchen and the bee hive. But our favourite is the tunnel under the tree roots with its nooks and crannies hiding mice, rabbits, badgers and worms.