Power of Partnerships - Gold Pins Awarded to Ambassadors

Power of Partnerships

The University of Leeds and Child Friendly Leeds share a similar ambition: to make Leeds the best place for children and young people to grow up.

The Public Engagement team at the University of Leeds holds and coordinates the partnership between Child Friendly Leeds and the University of Leeds. We began working with Child Friendly Leeds when Be Curious became an ambassador. Since 2023, we have built a stronger partnership to better connect the Child Friendly Leeds 12 Wishes with the work happening across the University, and to champion the 12 Wishes in everything we do.

To mark the end of 2025, Child Friendly Leeds celebrated its partnership with the University of Leeds at Nexus, hosting a Third Sector Workshop and Festive Networking Event. The event brought together 81 Ambassadors and partners to strengthen collaboration for children and young people, supporting Leeds’ ambition to be the best city to grow up in.

We are truly grateful to all our Ambassadors for their incredible support. Here’s a snapshot of the work recognised this year:

1. Leeds Baby Bank supported families in hardship by providing essentials for children aged 0–5 and connecting them to vital community services.
2. Northern championed rail safety and STEM careers through school projects, workshops, and events that inspired thousands of young people.
3. Trinity Leeds empowered young people through enterprise initiatives and supported citywide events like the Child Friendly Leeds Awards and Care Leavers celebrations.
4. Harewood House created inclusive experiences for families, hosting festive events for foster carers and improving access through its Community Pass initiative.
5. John Lewis promoted opportunities for care-experienced young people and SEND internships while supporting local events and campaigns through creative partnerships.
6. King Pins provided fun, inclusive experiences for children in care and began exploring opportunities to support care leavers.
7. NSPCC led safeguarding training and online safety campaigns across Leeds, ensuring children and families were better protected and informed.
8. Buro Happold advocated for child-friendly spaces through the Streets and Places for Children initiative, promoting inclusive design and co-production.
9. Yorkshire Contemporary championed play and creativity through projects like Leeds’ first adventure playground and family-focused cultural events.

Next Steps

One of the outcomes for the event was to enable the public and third sector to better collaborate and understand how research can really support the third sector. The team have developed a report, which shares research and projects from across the University that support the Child Friendly Leeds 12 Wishes, as well as wider work focused on children and young people. Its aim is simple: to share what we are learning with our community so they can use these ideas in their own work or start conversations about how the data and insights can help them.