Plea for more help to save toy library

AN Exeter toy library is hoping it will be one of the winners in the Echo's Cash in Your Community competition.

Dozens of entries have been received since the initiative to win a slice of £25,000 was launched last month.

The Carousel toy library, based in West Exe Children's Centre in Cowick Street, is facing closure because its main funding has been withdrawn.

And that is bad news for the many families who visit it each week to borrow toys.

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It has about 80 families on its books and loans out hundreds and hundreds of toys each year.

In the last financial year it loaned out 15 per cent more toys than the previous year.

The library's co-ordinator Fiona Daughton , said: "In these times many people can't afford to buy good quality toys for their children.

"But it is also a question of recycling – our toys are really good quality whereas some that you buy are not such good plastic and get broken and end up in landfill.

"Our toys are really good play value and we can give advice to parents as to what is suitable for their children's development."

The charity also runs the sister toy library, Merry-Go-Round which is based at the Exeter Scrapstore in Belmont Pleasure Ground though any money the charity is lucky enough to win would help Carousel as that is the more financially vulnerable –funding from Cash in Your Community would pay to keep the weekly sessions open. Meanwhile Turntable, a charity which collects donated furniture and electrical items to pass on to local people on low incomes, is also hoping for an injection of cash.

The charity operates on a shoestring and has saved hard for a much needed new van.

It is essential that the van has a tail lift fitted but that is going to cost in the region of £3,000.

Pam Rice, Turntable's manager, said the tail lift would be a major boost.

She said: "We have collected between 170 to 180 tonnes of furniture and white goods this year, which represents more than 6,200 items, which would be a lot of lifting for the volunteers as they have to pick up, unload at the warehouse and then load up again and deliver to homes."