A new outdoor play and learning initiative has added excitement to a local community while highlighting Leeds City Council’s ongoing dedication to ensuring children and young people have the best opportunities to thrive and grow.
The new initiative, named ‘Play Together, Talk Together’, features seven interactive installations prominently located at the Compton Centre Community Hub & Library in Harehills. These nature-inspired installations were created by Playful Anywhere and Play Explore Art, following a commission by a partnership between Leeds City Council and Nesta, the UK’s innovation agency for social good.
Each installation is uniquely equipped with elements like laminated images, sensory panels, and sound tubes, designed to foster meaningful interactions between children and their caregivers while supporting the development of early language and communication skills. Stepping stone trails create a physical pathway connecting the installations to the Compton Centre, enticing young visitors to delve into the children’s library and further ignite their imaginations with books and storytelling.
Funded by Nesta, the scheme was inaugurated at a ceremony with 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, in attendance. Joining them were Tom Symons, deputy director of fairer start at Nesta, and children from the Little Owls nursery in Harehills, who were among the first to explore the new installations.
Local residents have played a crucial role in shaping the design of the scheme, with Playful Anywhere and Play Explore Art conducting innovative engagement sessions that involved children and their caregivers. Support for the project also came from staff at the Compton Centre, Leeds Libraries, the council’s children’s services and public health teams, as well as the Children’s Speech and Language Therapy Service at the Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust.
Those involved in the project are eager for it to serve as a catalyst for ongoing playful learning at home. To support this, a series of leaflets has been created, offering ideas for games and activities that use common 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 recognized the significant role local families played in shaping the project, with the design of the installations inspired by the playful interactions — such as smiling, singing, pulling faces, and making animal noises, observed between children and caregivers during engagement sessions. This new play space is among several initiatives implemented under the partnership between the council and Nesta, known as A Fairer Start Local, which began in 2021.
This collaboration merges Nesta’s expertise in service innovation and improvement with the council’s deep understanding of the unique needs of different neighborhoods. The goal is to ensure that all children, regardless of their background, start school well-prepared with a solid foundation in social, emotional, and cognitive development.
This initiative complements the council’s Child Friendly Leeds program, launched in 2012 with the vision of making Leeds the best city in the UK for children to grow up in. The program has seen numerous successes, including hosting over 5,000 attendees at Child Friendly Leeds events in 2023 alone. That year, the program also coordinated £36,000 in funding for play projects and led a highly successful Christmas gifting initiative.
Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales commended the local initiatives in Leeds in 2023, stating that the city is: “Leading the way and putting children and young people at the heart of the city and community.”
Following a consultation with 80,000 children and young people, Child Friendly Leeds launched an action plan in 2022 that prioritized the provision of safe spaces for play and fun. Research from local, national, and international sources consistently shows that play is crucial for a child’s healthy development, laying the groundwork for all subsequent life stages.
Nesta, the UK’s innovation agency dedicated to social good, designs, tests, and scales solutions to address society’s most pressing issues. Its three primary missions focus on ensuring every child receives a fair start, helping individuals lead healthier lives, and fostering a sustainable future where the economy benefits both people and the planet.
Nesta operates in three key roles: as an innovation partner collaborating with frontline organizations to devise and trial new solutions, as a venture builder that supports new and early-stage businesses, and as a system shaper that establishes the conditions conducive to innovation. For more information about Nesta, please visit www.nesta.org.uk
