Child’s play as new scheme makes a positive difference in Harehills

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: “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.

“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.”

Sarah Cattan, director of fairer start at Nesta, said: “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.”

Leeds-based 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.