Play Attention

A Podcast From Timberplay
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Play Attention is the podcast from Timberplay exploring how play shapes our world — from childhood development and urban design to health, creativity and community. Hosted by independent play consultant, Beth Cooper, each episode invites thinkers, designers and changemakers to share stories and ideas that champion the right to play, and challenge us all to build more playful spaces, cities and lives.

Episodes

  1. Creating Space for Risk: Lessons from the Fear Less Play Project

    8 Jun

    Creating Space for Risk: Lessons from the Fear Less Play Project

    "You can have the most beautifully designed play space, but if the adults standing around the outside are flooded with anxiety, that is going to impact the function of that space." In this episode of Play Attention, Beth Cooper is joined by Helen Dodd, Professor of Child Psychology at the University of Exeter, and Dr Sarah-Louise Hurst, Clinical Psychologist and founder of Fortitude Mums. Together, they discuss the Fear Less Play project, an innovative piece of research exploring the connections between adventurous play, parental anxiety and children's development.  Drawing on expertise in child psychology, mental health and play, they explore why risk is an essential part of childhood, how adults can support rather than limit children's opportunities for challenge, and what this means for the design of play spaces and the wider systems that shape children's opportunities to play. In this episode, you'll hear: Why children need opportunities to experience risk and uncertainty through play.How parental anxiety can influence children's play experiences.What "graduated risk" means and why it matters.The role of adventurous play in building resilience and confidence.What designers, planners and local authorities can learn from the Fear Less Play research.Find Out More: Fortitude Therapy 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  Connect with Timberplay: Instagram LinkedIn  Timberplay

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

    6 May

    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 tickThe reason fencing dominates playground design, and why it often points to a problem in the design processHow nature, landscape, and play can work together to build stronger communitiesThe commercial case for play, and why better spaces actually drive valueWhat developers, planners, and designers need to do differently to raise the standard everywhereFind out More: Urban&Civic 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  Connect with Timberplay: Instagram LinkedIn  Timberplay

    39 min
  3. "We Call Ourselves Childhood Conservationists"

    3 Apr

    "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 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  Connect with Timberplay: Instagram LinkedIn  Timberplay

    48 min
  4. Why Flattening Abstraction Flattens Play

    3 Mar

    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 playBringing risk assessors into the play conversationDesigning playgrounds in places leaders cannot ignoreLetting children be rowdyWhy removing the outcome unlocks imaginationA energising conversation about resisting over-optimisation, and designing both playgrounds and adult lives with more possibility. Find our More: Cas Holman Anji Play Timberplay 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  Connect with Timberplay: Instagram LinkedIn  Timberplay

    59 min
  5. Play Equipment: The Most Underrated Urban Infrastructure

    29 Jan

    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 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  Connect with Timberplay: Instagram LinkedIn  Timberplay

    40 min
  6. Legitimising Play as the Outcome

    17/12/2025

    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 possibleWhy legitimising play as the outcome (not the means) is such a powerful shiftHow play helps cities tackle complex challenges and imagine better futuresThe value of water play in urban environmentsWhat it really means to embed play across policy, practice and place, beyond the playgroundFind out more: Playful Anywhere Child Friendly Leeds Lucicology 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  Connect with Timberplay: Instagram LinkedIn  Find out more: Timberplay

    42 min
  7. Building a Play Strategy for England with Eugene Minogue

    13/11/2025

    Building a Play Strategy for England with Eugene Minogue

    England is closer than it has been in years to a new national play strategy.  In this debut episode of The Play Attention Podcast, host Beth Cooper sits down with Eugene Minogue, Executive Director of Play England, to explore the long-awaited push for a play strategy in England - 17 years after the last one.  What you’ll hear about: Why embedding play in planning and design matters now more than ever Why play is the answer to arming children with the social and emotional skills to thrive in an AGI - Artificial General Intelligence - futureWhat a “play-sufficiency duty” could mean for every child’s access to time, space and freedom to play How adults, designers and communities can support this shift in mindset, beyond the playground.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  Connect with Timberplay: Instagram LinkedIn  Timberplay

    43 min
  • 7 Episodes

About

Play Attention is the podcast from Timberplay exploring how play shapes our world — from childhood development and urban design to health, creativity and community. Hosted by independent play consultant, Beth Cooper, each episode invites thinkers, designers and changemakers to share stories and ideas that champion the right to play, and challenge us all to build more playful spaces, cities and lives.

Information

  • Creator
    A Podcast From Timberplay
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    7
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Play Attention
  • Show Website
    Play Attention