Leeds ‘Play Streets’ mark International Day of Play

National World - LocalTV

To mark the International Day of Play on 11th June, a number of Leeds roads become 'Play Streets', with applications to shut streets for play available all year round.

Transcript

00:00My name is Councillor Helen Hayden. I am a councillor for Temple Newsome Ward and

00:05Executive Member for Children and Families at Lead City Council. The International Day of Play

00:09is set up by the United Nations to really focus our minds on children's right to play and the

00:16importance of play, not just for children, but for us all as well. Lead City Council set up

00:23play streets over a decade ago and how it works is that people can apply to have their

00:30street closed at certain times and give dates to the highways department so

00:34anybody can apply to have their street a play street. It might not be suitable, not

00:41all roads can be closed. So this has been happening around the city, I was very

00:45lucky in my previous home to live on a play street where my children, we moved in

00:50when they were four and five and the community spirit that it brought, we ended

00:55up having street parties with the adults enjoying themselves as well because the

01:00play streets brought people out of their homes onto the street in a really safe way.

01:05We had the festival play last October and in a year's time we'll have a bigger

01:10festival play and what that showed, the data that came out, is just how much joy

01:14and cohesion it brought and people and that it wasn't just the children enjoying

01:20themselves, it was the adults as well. What we're very trying very hard to do is

01:25to make it safe so that parents carers feel confident that their children are

01:31going to be safe playing outside. You can apply all year round, play streets happen

01:36all year round and there was last year there was 78 play streets happening across

01:41Leeds that equal over 300 hours of play.

Category

Transcript

Recommended