The Walk Leeds: Crowds to join giant Syrian refugee puppet Little Amal for moving walk to Millennium Square

Little Amal, a 3.5 metre-tall living artwork of a 10-year-old child, has walked across Turkey, Greece, Italy, France, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland and Ukraine to focus attention on the urgent needs of young refugees.

This month, Little Amal's The Walk has arrived in the UK for World Refugee Week, visiting 10 towns and cities across England.

The puppet will pop up on Briggate at 6pm on Monday and a large crowd of spectators are expected to join The Walk through the city centre to Millennium Square.

The initiative has been backed by Leeds City Council and Leeds Playhouse and The Walk was co-produced with Good Chance Theatre.

Little Amal’s story began in Good Chance Theatre‘s award-winning play, The Jungle, and was brought to life as a giant puppet made by War Horse creators Handspring Puppet Company.

Amir Nizar Zuabi, artistic director of The Walk, said: "It is because the attention of the world is elsewhere right now that it is more important than ever to reignite the conversation about the refugee crisis and to change the narrative around it.

"Yes, refugees need food and blankets, but they also need dignity and a voice.

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"The purpose of The Walk is to highlight the potential of the refugee, not just their dire circumstances.

"Little Amal is 3.5 metres tall because we want the world to grow big enough to greet her.

"We want her to inspire us to think big and to act bigger.”