It's a sunny morning and youngsters at Oakenshaw Playgroup are playing together outside. Through play, they learn how to behave with each other.

The children, aged two to five, are from the same community, several miles out of Bradford's multi-cultural city centre. Unlike youngsters in the city, they don't have experience of other cultures.

It is something the playgroup wants to address, by throwing its weight behind Bradford's Capital of Culture bid. Their idea is for a multicultural centre where children can learn about other cultures from an early age.

Playgroup superviser Susan Asquith, pictured, said the youngsters should be learning this before they get to school.

"Bradford has diverse cultural communities, but out here children don't see that. They don't really come into contact with children from any ethnic groups," she said.

"The only way to strengthen multi-cultural relations is through children. If they learn to understand other cultures from an early age it doesn't become so alien to them when they get older. They have more chance of becoming tolerant.

"This is an age when children don't have prejudices, they are wide open to new experiences.

"Bradford would really benefit from a multi-cultural children's centre, somewhere pre-school children could come and learn, through play, about the many different cultures in Bradford.

"The Capital of Culture bid is an excellent way of highlighting the need for facilities like this - and hopefully making them happen. It's all about developing the district's cultural diversity."

Recommendations for improving multi-cultural relations in schools were made in Lord Ouseley's race review, published after last summer's riots in Bradford. He recommended: "Revising, improving and advancing the citizenship aspect of the National Curriculum covering diversity, differences, rights and responsibilities, particularly regarding behaviour towards and respect for others, irrespective of background, appearance, characteristics, social circumstances or status."

They are recommendations Susan wants implemented in pre-school education as well as in schools.

"There are multi-cultural facilities for older children, but the only way you can make real changes in society is by bringing up children from young childhood to accept other cultures," she said.