At long last the rain has stopped and we can enjoy some lovely sunshine. Spring is a very busy time of year for us at the Toy Library. As you will see below we have a busy Easter programme and some fundraising events including a table top sale and our famous May Fair coming up.
Come and grab a bargain…
We are holding a table top sale this Sunday, 6th April from 10am till 12pm. There will be handmade, up-cycled, and nearly new items for sale, a refreshment stall (selling lots of cake!) and children’s activities – enabling you to browse in peace! £1 entry for adults and children go free, with all the proceeds going back into the Toy Library.
Holiday fun…
We don’t close during the holidays, so join us for a fun-filled Easter programme for you and your little ones to enjoy, including old favourites like an Easter egg hunt and Seriously Messy Play – we know you love it really! There are also some special workshops booked in: for under-18 months, the lovely Sam Syer will be running a yoga class; Heart Beeps will be running a sensory music class; for Under-5s, Khyl Arts are coming in to run an Asian dance and vocal workshop and Kids’ Kitchen are coming in to make lunch – all part of our Reaching Out Programme. The timetable is up on the website and posters are up in the Centre, so you can plan in advance.
May Fair madness…
We are very busy planning preparing for this year’s May Fair, to be held on Sunday 11th May from 11am – 2pm. The May Fair is a great day out for the whole family, and the biggest fundraising event of the year.
A big thank you to all of you who agreed to have an Estates 17 board in your front gardens –we got our 70 addresses in the end! For those of you who said ‘I’d rather give a tenner!’, we haven’t forgotten!
Here’s what we have in store for you this year:
¨ Real fire engine with Walthamstow’s Green Watch
¨ Live music with Mrs H & The Sing-along Band, Ripton Lindsay will be leading a 30-minute workshop of Caribbean Calypso dance, and the Natural Voices Youth Choir will perform for us
¨ Bouncy Castle for over-5s kindly donated by Mr Bounce, a friendly bouncy castle hire company based in Chingford
¨ Ball pool for under-5s
¨ Face Painting with WOW Faces and Sabrina
¨ BBQ with sausages and rolls provided by East London Sausage Company and The Village Bakery
¨ NEW for 2014 a bar with local ales, wine and Pimms (as requested by our members!)
¨ Loads of stalls including retro games like hook-a-duck, cakes, book sale, plants and arts and crafts.
¨ Tombola and raffle
Entry costs just 50p for adults, with kids free.
We need some May Fair help…
- We welcome donations for the raffle or tombola, please bring anything suitable to the Toy Library.
- Also we would be delighted to hear from any volunteers who could spare a few hours on the day to help run the activities.
- And we always welcome cake donations for the refreshment stall.
Please email E17toylibrarymanager@gmail.com if you can help.
May Fair Royalty!
At this year’s May Fair, we are reviving an old May Day tradition – with a modern twist!
Could your little one be crowned our May Fair King, Queen, Prince or Princess? To celebrate this year’s May Fair we are launching a search to find local boys and girls to become our May Fair Royalty!
Kings and Queens is for all children aged 2–5 and Princes and Princesses is for all children aged 0-23 months.
To enter, simply drop a photo of your child into the Toy Library with the following details:
- Name of child and their date of birth
- Name of Parent / Guardian and a contact number and email address.
The winners will be drawn at random on 5th May and must be available to attend the May Fair between 1pm–2pm, where they will receive their prize and take part in the crowning ceremony and photo shoot. Full terms and conditions are available on our website. Good Luck!
Membership fee increase
As you may know the Toy Library is a charity. Like most organisations we are seeing our costs increase well above the stated rates of inflation. For the last five years, we have kept our membership fee at £4.00. We have therefore decided to increase this fee from the 1st April 2014 to £5.00. We hope that you understand and thank you for your continued support. Please note that we will still continue to provide FREE membership for local families on low incomes.
Thank you…
We would like to thank Haslers Chartered Accountants and Business Advisers based in Loughton for donating £250.00 to the Toy Library. We will use this money to support families on low income with free membership, reduced entry and toy loaning fees.
Yoga Classes
Sam Syer is taking bookings for new parent and baby yoga classes, Mondays 1–2pm. Contact Sam on 07783 658883 or email Sam_73@ntlworld.com to book or discuss the course further.
Sam Wood is starting new classes on Monday 7th April. Pregnancy Yoga from 7-8pm andTherapeutic and Relaxation classes from 8.15–9.15pm. The new therapeutic and relaxation classes are designed for all men and women who want to get fit or learn relaxation techniques. Contact Sam on 07733 330171 or email sam@gentleflowyoga.co.uk to book a place.
Vanessa Brooks-Ficher has started a new Hatha Yoga class on Wednesday evenings, 7.30–9.00pm. Contact Vanessa on 07919 595665 for more information and to book a place or visit www.yoganess.org
Recycle…
Please pass on your unwanted carrier bags and newspapers for use during our sessions. Don’t forget that we also recycle printer-ink cartridges and old mobile phones through Recycle4Charity – all deliver funds back to the Walthamstow Toy Library and Play Centre
