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Young Lives Consortium

About Play, Grow, Belong

Built so families in Wakefield don't have to search five different places. Free, verified, and run by people who know all 11 areas.

Play
Grow
Belong

Our Mission

Play, Grow, Belong is dedicated to making it easy for families in the Wakefield District to find and access activities for their children. We believe that every child deserves opportunities to play, learn, and belong to supportive communities.

Our platform brings together information about local activities, clubs, classes, and events for children of all ages in one easy-to-navigate place. Whether you're looking for playgroups for toddlers, after-school clubs for primary school children, or youth activities for teenagers, our goal is to help you quickly find what you need.

Play

Supporting children's right to play and create joyful experiences that spark imagination and creativity

Grow

Encouraging development, learning, and new experiences that help children reach their full potential

Belong

Creating connections and community for every child, ensuring no one feels left out or alone

Why we built this

Families in Wakefield wanted to find things for their children to do. The activities were there — sports clubs, holiday programmes, after-school groups, playgroups across all 11 areas. But finding them meant trawling through Facebook, individual websites, council pages, and threads that hadn't been updated since 2022. Someone usually gave up before finding what they needed.

Play, Grow, Belong is the platform that should have existed sooner. One place, everything verified, always free. The activities listed here have been reviewed by our team before they go live. If it's listed, someone has checked it.

We're part of the Young Lives Consortium — a network of 70+ organisations that has been working across Wakefield since 2016. We know all 11 areas: Wakefield Central, Castleford, Pontefract, Normanton, Featherstone, Knottingley & Ferrybridge, Hemsworth, South Elmsall & South Kirkby, Ossett & Horbury, Wakefield Rural, and the Five Towns. We know which groups are active and which ones went quiet two years ago. That's why our listings are more reliable than a Facebook group search.

Verified, not just listed

Every activity on this platform has been reviewed before it goes live. If it's here, someone has checked it.

Built for real searches, not ideal ones

Families search by what matters: how old their child is, where they live, what day they're free. The filters exist because those are the actual questions.

Free. Both ways. Always.

Families pay nothing to search. Providers pay nothing to list. That's not a promotion — it's the model, and it isn't changing.

See what's on Add your listing — it's free

Our Partnership

Play, Grow, Belong is a collaborative project bringing together several key organizations in the Wakefield area who are committed to supporting families and children:

Young Lives Consortium

Young Lives Consortium

A voluntary sector consortium working with children, young people and families across the Wakefield District and beyond. Young Lives brings together over 70 community organizations focused on supporting young people.

Wakefield Council

Wakefield Council

The local authority for the Wakefield District, committed to making Wakefield a great place for children and young people to grow up. The council supports a wide range of services and activities for families.

WF-I-Can

WF-I-Can

A community initiative focused on empowering children and young people in the central Wakefield area (WF postcodes), providing activities, support and opportunities to thrive.

Wakefield Families Together

Wakefield Families Together

An initiative supporting families with resources and services throughout Wakefield. They provide information, support, and guidance for parents and children of all ages through their Family and Youth Hubs.

Blue Penguin Digital

Blue Penguin Digital

A Wakefield based digital agency specializing in creating accessible, user-friendly web platforms for community projects and social enterprises. Blue Penguin Digital designed and built the Play, Grow, Belong website.

Contact Us

Have a question about activities in the Wakefield area? Want to list your organization's activities on our platform? We'd love to hear from you!

Get in Touch

Telephone

01924 364198

0770 847 1951

Email

info@ylc.org.uk

Address

Young Lives Consortium - Play, Grow, Belong

Lightwaves Leisure Centre

Lower York Street

Marsh Way

Wakefield

WF1 3LJ

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