Young join forces with an old master to turn city’s centre into a picture of play

The event was held to allow photographer Tim Smith to create a modern day image inspired by Pieter Bruegel’s oil painting Children’s Games from the 16th century.

Bruegel’s painting shows more than 200 children playing 80 different games in a town square including walking on stilts, blind man’s bluff, leapfrog and inflating pigs bladders.

On Saturday’s crowds gathered in Bradford’s Centenary Square and City Park to create the 21st century equivalent.

The event was part of the Games in the Park Scheme being led by Bradford Council.

The events aim to allow people of all ages to take part in traditional games such as skipping and hopscotch.

The weekend also featured dance groups performing as part of the imove in the Street event as part of the Cultural Olympiad in the countdown to the 2012 games.

Coun Susan Hinchcliffe, Bradford Council’s executive member for culture, said: “It will capture the games children play together today in Britain as well as some of the traditional activities of long ago.”