Merry Go Round Toy Library

Who We Help, Why We Help & the Difference It Makes

What We Do

The toy libraries are great places for children to learn about  sharing toys and developing through play, you can borrow really good quality toys which you might otherwise might not be able to afford. 

Merry Go Round Toy Library

Merry Go Round Toy Library is open every Tuesday 10am-4.30pm at Positive Light Projects, 184-187 Sidwell Street, Exeter, EX4 6RD .  All returned toys are cleaned before being returned to stock. Our toy librarians can offer advice on which toys are most suitable for individual children, taking into account their age, stage and interests. Families with membership are welcome to stay and play.  You can join, browse catalogues of toys and resource books  and then book some to take home from my.mgrtoylibrary.org . 

Spinning Top Toy Library

Spinning Top Toy Library opened in March 2018 following the closure of The Carousel Toy Library. It is open every Friday from 10am-1pm and has toys, games and resource books for children from a few months into school age.  Families with membership are welcome to stay and play.

Events

Apart from toy library sessions we normally also get involved with other children's events including Fundays and Respect Festival. We strongly believe that children of all ages, abilities and backgrounds should have the opportunity to learn through play and have access to the best possible resources to help facilitate this.

Membership

Members include parents, grandparents, childminders and childcare groups; anyone caring for children is welcome to join. There is an annual membership charge which covers use of both toy libraries (£8 for families, £16 for groups), plus a small weekly fee for each item.

Volunteer

Our volunteers and committee members come from a wide range of backgrounds, with different skills and abilities, many with that most important experience of being a parent. We are always on the lookout for new volunteers for both toy libraries, whether to work in the toy libraries or to assist with committee work and fundraising activities.

Volunteers

Volunteers use their specific skills as and when they feel they can – this can include making cakes for cake stalls, mending toys, taking leaflets and posters to toddler groups, helping at car boot sales, writing articles for the newsletter, updating toy databases, taking photos, publicity etc.

Current tasks for volunteers helping in the toy libraries include:

• helping to set up
• checking toys which are returned
• cleaning toys

Fundraising

Anyone who has an interest in supporting our charity and helping it become sustainable can help by getting involved with fund raising activities and ideas or with promotional events to raise our profile in the local community. 

We always welcome help with fundraising activities, these can range from selling preloved toys to helping teach people to spin plates to helping at a craft activity. We hope to hold one or two major fundraising events per year plus other smaller events. You can choose whether to work as part of a group or you might want to do something as an individual or family. 

Committee Members

Committee members need to be members of the toy library and are also Trustees of the charity and as such have responsibility for ensuring the toy libraries are run in accordance with the law and our Constitution. Committee members:

• manage the staff, promoting good working practice and conditions
• write and update policies
• make decisions about the running of the toy libraries
• make a commitment to attend meetings (approx every 2 months with refreshments) including the AGM and our summer and winter socials
• use their skills to support the toy library – some are officers eg Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer or Secretary, each of which has its own responsibilities
• help with publicity
• link in with everything else going on in the project eg fundraising

To find out more please contact us by emailing, visiting or phoning during toy library sessions.

Easy Fundraising

Join easyfundraising and you can collect free donations for us every time you buy something online. It won't cost you a penny extra so please help us to raise funds.

Community Trail