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.

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.”

The schools are back this week and here is a reminder of when our sessions will be starting again in 2010:

Our After School sessions in Crabtree Community Centre start this week on Tuesday 5^th January.

The first Pulley Park session is on Saturday 9^th January.

All Play and Lend sessions will restart next week, that is the week beginning Monday 11^th January.

See you soon.

Home visits are carried out by experienced staff using carefully selected toys and techniques to engage both the child and the parent/s in play activities which promote the development of the child including language, communication, thinking and imagination. Activities also encourage and enable parent/s to value and practise regular playful interaction with their children.

The project works with families in Bulwell, an area of Nottingham City with significant social and economic deprivation as well as a history of poor educational attainment. These factors both contribute to, and are in turn reinforced by, low levels of parenting skill and confidence.

Delay in speech and language can be a very early indicator of problems in a child’s development. The LTTP project offers an early and preventative intervention which can offset the need for more specialist attention later. It addresses parenting capacity and identifies any need for other interventions at an early stage.

Many of the families demonstrate reluctance to engage with statutory agencies. Bulwell Community Toy Library is well known, community based and respected in the area. The learning offered is both play based and hands on, building trusting relationships with excluded families.

This relationship can lead, where appropriate, to supporting families to access other services and to engage more confidently with statutory services such as schools.