Child's play as new scheme makes a positive difference in Leeds community

The new scheme – called Play Together, Talk Together – consists of seven interactive installations that now have pride of place in the grounds of the Compton Centre Community Hub & Library in Harehills.

The nature-themed installations were designed and produced by creative organisations Playful Anywhere and Play Explore Art following a commission from a partnership between the council and Nesta, the UK’s innovation agency for social good.

Each one has different features – such as laminated imagery, sensory panels and sound tubes – that aim to stimulate special moments of connection between children and caregivers while also supporting early years language and communication development.

Stepping stone trails provide a physical link between the installations and the Compton Centre, encouraging young visitors to explore its children’s library so they can further fire their imaginations through the magic of reading and storytelling.

The Nesta-funded scheme was officially opened at a ceremony attended by Councillor Mary Harland, the council’s executive member for communities, customer service and community safety, and Julie Longworth, the council’s director of children and families.

They were joined at the event by Tom Symons, deputy director of fairer start at Nesta, with youngsters from the Little Owls nursery in Harehills on hand to try out the new installations.

Local people have shaped the design process for the scheme, with a range of innovative engagement sessions for children and caregivers being delivered by Playful Anywhere and Play Explore Art.

Input and support also came from staff at the Compton Centre, the council’s Leeds Libraries, children’s services and public health teams and the Children’s Speech and Language Therapy Service at the Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust.

All those involved are keen for the project to act as a launchpad for continued playful learning at home, with a series of accompanying leaflets being produced that offer ideas for games and activities using everyday household items.

Councillor Helen Hayden, Leeds City Council’s executive member for children and families, said:

“As the Play Champion for Leeds, I’m so pleased to see this scheme making a positive difference by supporting early years learning, bringing people together and, most importantly, putting smiles on young faces.

“Thank you to Nesta and all our partners for their support, and to Playful Anywhere and Play Explore Art for the thoughtful work they have done on the project.

“Together we made sure children, families and caregivers had a central role in the development and design of these installations, which I hope will be a much-loved part of local life for years to come.”

Councillor Mary Harland, Leeds City Council’s executive member for communities, customer service and community safety, said:

“Play Together, Talk Together is a great example of the work we are doing with partners to build strong, happy and healthy communities across Leeds.

“We want our city to be a place where people of all ages feel a sense of belonging and are encouraged to make the most of their talents and potential.

“One way we can do this is by listening to children and better understanding the needs of their families and caregivers, and then taking that learning and using it as the foundation for inclusive, engaging projects such as Play Together, Talk Together.”

Sarah Cattan, director of fairer start at Nesta, said:

“Creative and playful interactions with parents and caregivers are instrumental in the development of young children. Parents in Leeds have told us how important their children's development is to them and that they value opportunities to play and connect with their children.

“These playful learning installations have been designed to spark those interactions, intuitively guiding caregivers and their children to play and learn together.

“We hope that the installations foster many joyful, learning moments, as well as providing parents with any other resources they might find helpful.”

Playful Anywhere and Play Explore Art have hailed the important contribution of local families to the scheme, with the design of the installations being directly inspired by interactions – from smiling and singing to pulling faces and making animal noises – between children and caregivers during the engagement sessions.

The new play space is one of a number of projects that have been delivered during the partnership between the council and Nesta, launched in 2021 and called A Fairer Start Local.

By combining Nesta’s expertise in service innovation and improvement with the council’s insight into the needs of different neighbourhoods, the intention has been to help ensure that all children – whatever their background – reach school with a good level of social, emotional and cognitive development.

This in turn aligns with the council’s Child Friendly Leeds programme, which was started in 2012 with the aim of making Leeds the best city in the country to grow up in.

Its achievements have been many and varied, with more than 5,000 people attending Child Friendly Leeds events in 2023 alone. That same year saw the programme co-ordinating £36,000 worth of funding for play projects and a hugely successful Christmas gifting initiative.

The work taking place locally was praised by the Princess of Wales in 2023 when she said Leeds was “leading the way and putting children and young people at the heart of the city and community”.

An action plan launched in 2022 by Child Friendly Leeds following a consultation involving 80,000 children and young people had the provision of safe spaces to play and have fun as one of its priority areas.

Research at a local, national and global level has proven that play is fundamental to the healthy development of a child, setting the stage for everything else that comes later in life.

Note to editors:

About Nesta

Nesta is the UK's innovation agency for social good. It designs, tests and scales solutions to society's biggest problems. Its three missions are to give every child a fair start, help people live healthy lives and create a sustainable future where the economy works for both people and the planet.

It works in three roles: as an innovation partner working with frontline organisations to design and test new solutions, as a venture builder supporting new and early stage businesses and as a system shaper creating the conditions for innovation.

For further information about Nesta, click here.

ENDS