Play Attention

Play Isn’t a Place. It’s the Whole Plan.

In this episode of Play Attention, we sit down with Scott Chalmers, Head of Green Infrastructure at Urban&Civic, to challenge the assumption that play belongs in a designated, fenced-off area. Drawing on years of experience delivering large-scale communities, Scott shares why play should never be “dropped in” to meet planning requirements, but embedded from the very first moment of design. From removing fences and rethinking risk, to creating landscapes that invite people to stay, dwell, and connect, this conversation explores what happens when play is the foundation, not an afterthought. You’ll hear: * Why play space should be an open canvas, not a box to tick * The reason fencing dominates playground design, and why it often points to a problem in the design process * How nature, landscape, and play can work together to build stronger communities * The commercial case for play, and why better spaces actually drive value * What developers, planners, and designers need to do differently to raise the standard everywhere Find out More: Urban&Civic [https://www.urbanandcivic.com/] Priors Hall Park [https://timberplay.com/case-studies/priors-hall-park] Play Attention is a podcast from Timberplay - exploring the thinkers, designers and changemakers shaping the future of play. Hosted by Beth Cooper, Independent Play Consultant. Theme music by Dave Mullen Jnr [https://davemullenjnr.co.uk/]  Connect with Timberplay: Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/timberplaylimited/] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/timberplay-ltd/?viewAsMember=true]  Find out more: Timberplay [https://timberplay.com/]

"We Call Ourselves Childhood Conservationists"

In this episode of Play Attention, we sit down with someone we’ve admired for many years - Ash Perrin, co-founder and CEO of the Flying Seagull Project. Timberplay and the Flying Seagulls have crossed paths time and time again through shared conversations, workshops and events, and through a deep, mutual belief in the power of play. We have enormous respect for the work Ash and his team do, bringing joy, laughter and meaningful play to children and families living through conflict, displacement, trauma and isolation, both across the world and here in the UK. But this conversation isn’t only about extraordinary places or extreme circumstances. What becomes clear as you listen is that everything Ash does, believes in and talks about is hugely relevant to all of us who work in, design for, advocate for, or simply value play. Ash challenges us to move play beyond the idea of “wouldn’t it be nice” and towards recognising it as something essential, something that supports healing, connection, development and dignity. In his words, play isn’t an add-on. It’s part of how children survive and thrive.  Throughout the episode, he shares powerful reflections from nearly two decades of working directly with children in some of the most complex environments imaginable, and reminds us that the lessons learned there apply just as much in our schools, parks, communities and neighbourhoods. We also get a special sneak preview of Ash’s forthcoming book, Forgotten Games: A Compendium of Play, due for release in early 2027 - a joyful collection of more than 100 children’s games from across cultures and history, celebrating the timeless universality of play.  Find out more: The Flying Seagull Project [https://www.theflyingseagullproject.com/] Play Attention is a podcast from Timberplay - exploring the thinkers, designers and changemakers shaping the future of play. Hosted by Beth Cooper, Independent Play Consultant. Theme music by Dave Mullen Jnr [https://davemullenjnr.co.uk/]  Connect with Timberplay: Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/timberplaylimited/] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/timberplay-ltd/?viewAsMember=true]  Find out more: Timberplay [https://timberplay.com/]

Why Flattening Abstraction Flattens Play

In this episode of Play Attention, Beth Cooper speaks with designer, educator and author Cas Holman about her new book, Playful, and why reclaiming free play matters just as much for adults as it does for children. At the heart of the conversation is a simple design principle: name by function. Start with what something is really for - connection, risk, rowdiness, joy - before deciding what it should look like. From rooftop playgrounds in Brooklyn to refugee encampments on the US-Mexico border, Cas reflects on what happens when we flatten abstraction into compliance, efficiency or tidy solutions. Drawing on her work with urban schools, loose parts environments and Anji Play, Cas and Beth explore: * How releasing judgment helps adults rediscover free play * Bringing risk assessors into the play conversation * Designing playgrounds in places leaders cannot ignore * Letting children be rowdy * Why removing the outcome unlocks imagination A energising conversation about resisting over-optimisation, and designing both playgrounds and adult lives with more possibility. Find our More: Cas Holman [https://casholman.com/] Anji Play [https://www.anjiplay.co/] Timberplay [https://timberplay.com/ideas-and-insights] Play Attention is a podcast from Timberplay - exploring the thinkers, designers and changemakers shaping the future of play. Hosted by Beth Cooper, Independent Play Consultant. Theme music by Dave Mullen Jnr [https://davemullenjnr.co.uk/]  Connect with Timberplay: Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/timberplaylimited/] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/timberplay-ltd/?viewAsMember=true]  Find out more: Timberplay [https://timberplay.com/]

Play Equipment: The Most Underrated Urban Infrastructure

In this episode of Play Attention, Beth Cooper is joined by Anamaria Castillo, Landscape Strategies Director at KALQ Studio, who argues that if landscape architects want to design for play, they need far more in-depth training to do it well. She shares why play is still often treated as a “tick-box” extra rather than core urban infrastructure, and why education in play design should be as fundamental as planting, drainage or materials. From Dubai to Costa Rica, the US to Europe, Anamaria gives a global perspective on how climate shapes play, why flexibility and capacity matter in urban spaces and why one group is consistently overlooked: teenagers, who - she says - still very much want to play! They also discuss inclusive design, listening to children’s voices, and what it would take to create cities that genuinely support play for everyone. Find out more: KALQ Studio [https://kalqstudio.cargo.site/] Play Attention is a podcast from Timberplay - exploring the thinkers, designers and changemakers shaping the future of play. Hosted by Beth Cooper, Independent Play Consultant. Theme music by Dave Mullen Jnr [https://davemullenjnr.co.uk/]  Connect with Timberplay: Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/timberplaylimited/] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/timberplay-ltd/?viewAsMember=true]  Find out more: Timberplay [https://timberplay.com/]

Legitimising Play as the Outcome

Leeds is quietly doing something radical: treating play as an essential outcome in its own right. In this episode of Play Attention, host Beth Cooper is joined by Emma Bearman, Founder of Playful Anywhere, and Jenny Rutherford, Play Strategy Officer at Leeds City Council, to explore how Leeds is blazing a trail for play sufficiency, and what other towns and cities can learn from it. Together, they discuss how play sufficiency moved from an idea to action, why play isn’t just a tool to deliver other outcomes but something worth valuing in and of itself, and why making space for play is everyone’s business. What you’ll hear about: * How Leeds got play sufficiency off the ground, and what made it possible * Why legitimising play as the outcome (not the means) is such a powerful shift * How play helps cities tackle complex challenges and imagine better futures * The value of water play in urban environments * What it really means to embed play across policy, practice and place, beyond the playground Find out more: Playful Anywhere [https://www.playfulanywhere.fun/] Child Friendly Leeds [https://cfl.leeds.gov.uk/] Lucicology [https://ludicology.com/] Play Attention is a podcast from Timberplay - exploring the thinkers, designers and changemakers shaping the future of play. Hosted by Beth Cooper, Independent Play Consultant. Theme music by Dave Mullen Jnr [https://davemullenjnr.co.uk/]  Connect with Timberplay: Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/timberplaylimited/] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/timberplay-ltd/?viewAsMember=true]  Find out more: Timberplay [https://timberplay.com/]