A child's right to play was highlighted this week with Playday events held across the Bradford district organised by the National Children's Bureau. Here we look at the first adventure playground of its kind in Bradford which has been developed to help youngsters achieve their potential through play and which has just celebrated its first anniversary.

A traditional street party marked the completion of the first year in the life of Eccleshill Adventure Playground.

The project is the first of its kind in Bradford - managed by a local voluntary group and supported by Bradford Council's early years service.

The playground is a flagship project for eight-to-18-year-olds with the focus on enabling children and young people to achieve their potential through play.

Children take the lead in adventurous play, from building dens to treehouses, playing with tyres and taking turns on the popular giant swing. It is run by the local community.

To mark it first anniversary, youngsters enjoyed a coconut shy, whip and top, hopscotch and other games and activities from times gone by.

There was also a barbecue, tombola and a balloon release, which will help raise funds for the playground. There will be a prize for the balloon that travels the furthest.

The party was funded by the Bradford and Airedale Primary Care Trust and was based on the National Playday theme of street play.

Councillor John Cole, Bradford Council's play champion, said: "The adventure playground is a place where all children can feel free and safe to play, chat and hang out.

"The party was a chance for children and young people, their families and the local community to get together to celebrate the play facilities on offer.

"Having a jubilee-style celebration means youngsters and older people in the community can enjoy something together and learn more about each other's way of life."

Adam Lincoln, playground development worker at Eccleshill, said: "The adventure playground is a fantastic place for children and young people who develop and build the site on their own, with help from staff.

"The site provides a range of opportunities and activities from which they gain a real sense of achievement, which benefits them in the wider aspects of their lives.

"We have been really looking forward to celebrating what has been a very exciting first year for the playground."

Janet Jewitt, company secretary for the playground, said they had a achieved a lot over the year, even overcoming obstacles such as repeated vandalism. "We've now been up and running for a year so we thought we would have a celebration," she said. "So its a birthday party, but also links in with Play Day and Play Week which we are celebrating across the district.

"We had one or two disappointing situations, what with a couple of break-ins. But since then all of the support from local volunteers, the parents and children means it is now coming together and a lot of the children are coming down on a regular basis.

"We've come on a long way over the 12 months. We have now been fortunate to get pots of external funding to support us and we have also heard that we are hopefully in receipt of a fairly large amount of money from the Big Lottery Fund, so that will support us even further. It looks like things will just get better."

According to the National Children's Bureau, play is essential for physical and emotional growth, for mental, intellectual and educational development and for acquiring social and behavioural skills.

Play is a generic term applied to a wide range of activities and behaviours that are satisfying to the child, creative for the child and freely chosen by the child.

Children's play may or may not involve equipment or have an end product. Children play on their own and with others. Their play may be boisterous and energetic or quiet and contemplative, light-hearted or very serious.

In 1991, the Government ratified the United Nations convention on the rights of a child to ensure that all children have the opportunity to play.