'Children don't see a difference' Pupils play through the divide

On a bright, wintry morning, Bradford's majestic 19th-century city hall is alive with children's laughter.

- Sally Weale

Sixty girls and boys are playing games and dancing in the banqueting suite; they're making art in the civic reception room; and amid the grandeur of the council chamber, where decisions about the future of their city are made, they are sharing their hopes and dreams.

"I want to be a doctor," says one pupil from the tiered benches where the city's councillors sit. "I want to be a doctor and a teacher," says another. "I want to be a pilot and a neurosurgeon," says a third. The children are also asked about their hopes for Bradford. "That we have our own snow leopard," was one rather magnificent response.

The year 4 children, aged eight or nine, are drawn from two Bradford primary schools which have been paired. They are taking part in a yearlong programme of events organised by The Linking Network, a charity which brings together children from different faiths, cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds to have fun, learn and get to know one another.

Set up after the Bradford civil disturbances of 2001, the charity - one of five charities supported through the Guardian's Hope charity appeal - aims to build relationships between children who might otherwise never have met. The shared experience during the programme helps them explore identity, become comfortable with difference and build connections.

When you see it in action, it just looks like children having fun.