Child Friendly Leeds hosts five year birthday bonanza this weekend

Child Friendly Leeds will put on a variety of free activities for families and children across the city this Saturday and Sunday including a teddy bears’ picnic with giant inflatables at Millennium Square.

Families will be encouraged to explore several city centre locations where they will find a climbing wall, go-karts, exotic animals, a flashmob dance performance and more.

There will also be CBBC and CBeebies programmes showing on a ‘big screen’.

Councillor Lisa Mulherin, executive board member for children and families, said the celebration is an opportunity to thank the city for supporting their aim to make Leeds the UK’s most child friendly city.

“We are really proud of how well the child friendly ethos has been embraced by the city and the way our ambassadors have helped to spread our child friendly message,” she said.

“It is about putting children and young people at the heart of everything we do, giving them a voice and the opportunity to be involved in decisions about their city.”

More than 700 Leeds businesses, organisations and individuals have pledged their support for the campaign since it was launched by the Queen on July 19, 2012. Tomorrow, on the birthday date itself, buildings around the city centre will be lit up in orange.

And new Child Friendly Leeds Fund, which will help raise money for enrichment opportunities for vulnerable youngsters in the city, was launched yesterday.

For more information on the weekend celebrations visit www.leeds.gov.uk/childfriendlyleeds