The Yard Dundee re-opens after £1.5m transformation

The renovation team was led by Paul Stephen, partner at James F Stephen Architects, and Douglas Smith, partner at Hardies Property & Construction Consultants, with Andrew Shepherd Construction as the main contractor.

The Yard provides safe, inclusive, and inspiring play spaces across Scotland where children can play, grow and connect, while families feel supported, empowered and included.

The charity’s work goes beyond play, offering early intervention services and pre-diagnosis support at the point of need. Its schools programme also works closely with teachers and pupils to support inclusion in education. 

The Dundee centre is led by service development manager Gill Thomson, who approached The Yard in Edinburgh 10 years ago to set up a similar service in Dundee after looking for a place for her son to play. 

Today, coinciding with The Yard’s 10th anniversary in Dundee, the transformation, supported by £230,000 from the Scottish Government, includes a new roof, a Changing Places room, a sensory room, larger play areas, a dedicated office and meeting spaces and a large kitchen and dining area.

Families also contributed their ideas to the redevelopment, which features a fully inclusive outdoor play space designed by Timberplay.

Crucially, the upgrades allowed The Yard to secure Care Inspectorate registration. This will allow the charity to expand its services to include much-needed respite care, out-of-school clubs, school holiday provision, early years support, and tailored work with schools and families. New services are expected to launch in early 2026, starting with respite care before expanding into early years provision.

Officially re-opening the centre, Children and Young People’s Minister, Natalie Don-Innes, said: “This facility provides a wonderful place for disabled children and young people in the wider Dundee region to play and be themselves, which makes a huge difference to their lives and to their families.

“The Yard provides excellent facilities and support at its sites across Scotland, which is why the Scottish Government provided £230,000 towards the Dundee development and will continue to support The Yard’s important work.”

Celine Sinclair, chief executive of The Yard, added: “We are absolutely thrilled to officially reopen The Yard in Dundee today.

“Alongside the children and families we work with, we had bold aspirations for what we wanted and are exceptionally proud of the result.

“We are deeply grateful to all who supported us, from funders and contractors to the many local people who donated to our appeal. Together, they have helped us create not just a new building, but a vital and play-ready community resource.

“With this inclusive and accessible space, we can now focus on what The Yard does best: providing a welcoming place where children and families can play, belong and connect.

“That includes delivering much-needed respite provision, a growing national challenge that we are determined to help address.

“As we continue to develop The Yard into a nationally recognised centre of excellence, alongside our centres in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Fife, today marks a significant step forward in our mission to build meaningful inclusion across Scotland.”

The project was made possible thanks to the support of the Scottish Government, Dundee City Council, Edward Gostling Foundation, Gannochy Trust, NHS Tayside Charitable Foundation, Northwood Charitable Trust, Robertson Trust, SPAR Community Cashback and Tay Charitable Trust.

Generous donations from the local community, both financial and practical, also helped the centre to reopen on schedule.