Following the summer holidays all of our sessions will be restarting and running as usual from the week beginning 13th September 2010.

Progress Report

Having been successful in being accepted onto the national Community Builders Programme we have appointed Thirdkey Enterprise Solutions Ltd to work with us to develop a Business Plan. This involves identifying and researching proposals through which we can begin to raise income through commercial schemes and reduce our dependence on grant aid. We intend that this will enable us to maintain our core local services to children and families in Bulwell.

Following a meeting in July with our Trustees and staff, Thirdkey have looked at our large range of ideas and reported that in their view the following present us with the best chances of success and will begin to conduct market research and development of a Business Plan. This Plan will be submitted in November to Community Builders as an application for financial investment:

-       To develop and expand the Mobile Creche Service and to look into other similar schemes such as Emergency Childcare.

-       To look into the potential for marketing existing work and expertise such as LTTP and outdoor learning to families outside Bulwell who may be prepared to pay for such services.

-       In relation to our building, we are having structural surveys done and are looking at ideas to support the work above. This may involve using downstairs as a staging and storage area for the mobile crèche and other schemes in order to make it easy to move equipment in and out of the building.

Our Annual General Meeting will be held this year on

24^th September 2010

at 9.30am

Top Valley Community Centre (next to Tesco)

We hold this meeting every year to give all of our members and partners a chance to come and find out what we have been doing and to elect our Board of Trustees. It is also a legal requirement that we do this.

This is an important time for the Toy Library, we face difficult times but also have some exciting ideas and opportunities which we will be presenting at the meeting.

If you can make it we will be very pleased to see you.

We’ll probably have cakes as well if that helps…..

If you read the article in the Evening Post on Thursday 26^th August and are concerned that we are about to close……… Don’t worry! We are not under any immediate threat.

We know that the City Council has to look for ways to make huge cuts in its budgets next year. The Grant aid budget will be one of the places that they will look to make savings. We sent a press release to the Post to highlight the fact that although the City Council gives us £61,500 each year, we raise another £140,000 on top of that which means that our services in Bulwell are very good value for money.

The point we are making is that they shouldn’t see our grant as a target to cut because they could lose over £200,000 in services for the sake of that £61,500.

So don’t worry, yet. We will keep all of our members informed of any developments.

Outdoor Summer Sessions

for Under Fives

and their families

Friday 30^th July                        Rufford Park (the field adjacent to Musters Walk)

11.00 to 3.00

Wednesday 4^th August            Pulley Park, National Play Day event

11.00 to 1.00                              (near Mulberry Gardens)

Wednesday 11^th August           Pulley Park

11.00 to 1.00                               (near Mulberry Gardens)

Thursday 19^th August                Nelson Park (off Sellers Wood Drive)

11.00 to 3.00

Wednesday 25^th August            Pulley Park

11.00 to 1.00                                (near Mulberry Gardens)

We are operating a mobile creche service and need experienced childcare workers with NVQ 2 or 3 to work with us on a sessional basis. If you are interested you can download an application form, Job Description and other information from the Resources page of this website or contact us on 0115 975 3898 or email steve@toy-library.co.uk.

Big Family Picnic event on Saturday 17th July!

At the back of  the Toy Library building the new play area has been installed and is already being well used by children and families. Apart from a temporary problem with new turf it appears to be a great success. There are hardly any times of day when there aren’t some children enjoying it, families with young ones during the school day and then it fills up when the older ones come out of school. During the warm weather it has had a lovely family feel to it with  crowds of all ages using it till late in the evening.

Something that has been very noticeable is the lack of any vandalism or bad behaviour despite the numbers and wide age range  of children using it. Lets hope this continues to be the case.

There is to be a Big Family Picnic to launch the park on Saturday 17th July from 11.00am to 3.00 and we will be involved in that. There will be loads to do for all ages, sports, bouncy castle, fancy dress competition, costume making, circus skills, wellie wanging and much more…..

LANGUAGE THROUGH TOYS AND PLAY

PROJECT WORKER

16 Hours per week

Scale 5 JNC

(£19,427 pro rata)

Fixed term contract for one year

Closing date for applications 2^nd July 2010.

Interviews to be held 15^th July 2010

We are seeking to appoint a skilled and experienced person to join us in delivering this innovative and successful project which has been running for 10 years.

We are looking for someone with at least a Level 3 qualification childcare, a well developed understanding of child development and proven experience of working with adult parents and carers. We would also welcome applications from candidates with experience of home visiting.

The successful candidate will demonstrate a non-judgemental and supportive attitude to the families with whom we work as well as show creativity, flexibility and imagination in their approach.

Application form and more information can be downloaded from the Resources page of this website.

Have you ever made something for your children to play with? Did your parents or grandparents have a great idea for a plaything or game that didn’t cost the earth?

We would like to hear about it.

Toys can be expensive and many families just can’t afford to keep buying new ones, that’s why the Toy Library was set up 30 years ago. However there are also many ways to make playthings, play activities and games for next to nothing. Children have been playing for a very long time before there were mass produced toys.

Do you have an example of something you’ve made or used for children to play with using everyday items or your local environment? Whether you’re a child, parent or grandparent and if its something from last week or 50 years ago, we would like to hear about it.

Some common ideas are making sock puppets, threading pasta necklaces, cars made of big cardboard boxes, hopscotch, walking along without stepping on cracks in the pavement……. We know there are thousands of others and want as many as possible.

If you have an example to share with us, please tell us in the ‘Leave a reply’ box below or send your ideas and pictures to ideas@toy-library.co.uk

“Children’s play is essential but needn’t cost money. We’ve launched the hunt for fun, inexpensive home-made ideas to help families and to remind everyone that play doesn’t have to mean splashing out financially or keeping up with the latest fad or gadget – it’s about spending time with your children.”

After the half term break (week beginning 22^th February 2010)

we will be asking you to pay £1.00 per family group

To attend each Toy Library session

We have thought and talked long and hard about this but it has become more and more difficult to get enough funding to keep these sessions going without finding other ways to pay for them.

When we asked members if they would support this the overwhelming response was that you would.

Toy Loan charges

Families will continue to be charged 15p per toy per week

but the charge to Childminders will go up to 50p per toy per week