We had an absolutely fantastic day representing Derbyshire Toy Libraries at the Love Belper 250 Celebration with our popular preloved toy stall.
The event was a wonderful opportunity to raise awareness of our charity, showcase the services we offer, and encourage families to give toys a second life rather than sending them to landfill. It was fantastic to see so many people supporting our mission of reusing and repurposing toys.
A Warm Welcome on Belper Market Place
We were delighted to welcome both familiar and new faces to our stall throughout the day. Many visitors told us they would be donating toys and books to us in future, helping us continue to support local families while reducing waste and raising funds for our charity.
Launching Our Preloved Toy Adoption Certificates
One of the highlights of the day was the launch of our new Preloved Toy Adoption Certificates, which proved incredibly popular! It was heart-warming to see children choosing a “new” favourite toy to take home while helping the environment.
Our Amazing Volunteers
A huge thank you goes to our amazing volunteers who made the day such a success.
Olivia and Eva did a brilliant job handing out business cards to families and carers, helping spread the word about our charity. Benji gave a great insight into his role volunteering at our toy library base at Strutts, cleaning toys, and shared how he used to attend our Stay & Play sessions himself as a small child.
Our wonderful volunteers Holly, Jamie, Sarah, Leah, Nikki and Dan did an amazing job talking to visitors about what we do, promoting our services, encouraging soft toy adoptions and expertly merchandising our preloved toys. Their enthusiasm and teamwork really helped create a welcoming and engaging stall.
A Fantastic Festival Atmosphere
Despite a slightly blustery breeze, the weather was very kind to us and the event had a fantastic atmosphere, complete with street performers in period costume.
It was also a great opportunity to network with other local charities, community groups and organisations, strengthening connections across our community.
Raising Funds and Awareness
We’re delighted to share that we raised £173 on the day, as well as significantly increasing awareness of our charity and the support we provide.
A huge thank you to everyone who visited, donated, purchased a toy, adopted a cuddly friend or stopped for a chat. Your support means so much to us as we celebrate our 26th year - and we’re excited to share that we’ve been shortlisted for a King’s Volunteer Award, and we’re now awaiting further news on whether we’ve won, with the winners announced around the King’s Birthday in November.
Get Involved
If you’ve been inspired by what we do, we’d love to hear from you! You can:
- Volunteer with our friendly team.
- Donate good quality toys and books.
- Hire toys through our toy library.
- Join one of our Stay & Play sessions.
Visit our website to find out more and become part of helping children play, families save money, and thousands of toys stay out of landfill.