What does a happy street look like? If children designed our towns, cities and villages, would our neighbourhoods look different? Now is the chance to tell us.
We're inviting children across England to draw what their dream street looks like as part of a new Government conference taking place in September called Making Active Places.
What will the drawings be used for?
The drawings will be brought together into a giant collage backdrop on stage at the Making Active Places conference at Aviva Studios, Manchester on 22 and 23 September 2026.
The conference will showcase the latest UK Government policy and guidance for professionals working to make our communities happier, healthier and greener – and we want children's voices and visions at the heart of it.
The child's artwork will be seen by people making real changes to streets across the country.
What should the drawing show?
We'd love to see what your child's dream street looks like – we imagine this is somewhere that's fun and safe, but also exciting to spend time in. They might choose to draw things like:
- their favourite flowers, plants and trees
- their dream play area, including room for their favourite sport or activity
- roads and pavements that are safe for everyone to use
- parking for scooters, cycles or other modes of transport
- bus stops or ways to connect their street to other places
- benches or places to sit and talk with friends and family
- shops, school or other places they would like to have nearby
- their favourite people or animals, including pets
It's their vision, and we invite them to be as creative as they like! There's no right or wrong answer.
How big should the drawing be?
No size is too big! Where possible, please share your child’s drawing on a piece of white A4 paper or larger. This will help us keep the drawing as high quality as possible when part of the collage backdrop.
What should I use to draw with?
They can use any of the following:
- felt-tip pens or marker pens
- crayons or colouring pencils
- paint
- collage materials stuck onto the paper (such as tissue paper or cut-out shapes)
Please try and avoid pencil-only drawings, as these can be harder to see when combined with other artwork. Bold, colourful drawings work best.
A few tips
Try to fill as much of the page as possible and use bright colours where you can. The drawing will be displayed alongside other drawings, so bold lines and colours will really stand out.
Please do not include any personal information in the drawing, for example a home address, phone number or names of people you know.
How do we submit the drawing?
Please take a photo or scan of the drawing and email it to makingactiveplaces@activetravelengland.gov.uk with the subject line ‘Place Makers - Backdrop Drawing’.
If you would prefer to send us the drawing via post, please use the following address: Making Active Places, Active Travel England, West Offices, Station Rise, York, YO1 6GA.
All entries must reach us by 27 July 2026.
Privacy notice
By submitting your drawings to us, you grant permission for us to use these drawings for the purposes of our work and any related activities.
We will not publish or share your name or any other personal data in connection with the drawings. Any information you provide will be treated confidentially.
We will retain your contact details only for as long as necessary to communicate with you about the outcome of your application, after which they will be securely deleted.
Further questions
If you have any questions about the Place Makers - Backdrop Drawing, please get in touch with the Active Travel England team at makingactiveplaces@activetravelengland.gov.uk.
Making Active Places 2026 is organised by Active Travel England, the government body enabling people nationwide to be more active by making streets safe and accessible for walking, wheeling and cycling. The event is supported by the Department for Transport, Homes England and Sport England.