All our projects seek to promote responsible and eco-friendly habits as well as introducing children to the concept of a “circular economy”.
We believe that instilling awareness from a young age can result in a better understanding of what happens to the waste that is generated from toys (particularly plastic) and its packaging. For this we have developed a number of projects and aim to add a few more in the near future.
TLB’s Toy Swap Shop asks children to bring a toy they no longer want or play with and swap it for another one. The emphasis of the toy swap shop is not on the monetary value a toy may have but rather on helping children (and adults) be more environmentally responsible and reduce waste.
TLB’s DIY Toy Club & Toy Art encourages children to create toys of their own design or artwork by using toys that are no longer fit for purpose. In this way, the broken toy is not discarded but is given a new life.
TLB’s Toy Bank is akin a food bank but for toys. Children can donate toys they no longer want or need to organisations who can make good use of them. We engage with local organisations and also with international ones.
TLB’s Toy Library works in the same way as a library but rather than borrowing books you can borrow toys. We have taken over the existing Cambridge Jumbo Toy Library and have joint forces with NCCP to start the Little Rainbows Toy Library. We hope to develop more toy libraries across Cambridge, either on our own or as shared projects.
TLB’s Toy Library Network aims to create a network of toy libraries around the UK . The ideas is to act as a platform so toy libraries can exchange ideas, support, etc., and also no matter where you are located in the UK, we hope you can find a toy library near you. If you would like to become part of our network, please email us at: atoyslifeandbeyond@gmail.com.
TLB’s Toy Repair Café is as its name suggest a café where toys can be repaired, matching people repair/repairer. We have decided to focus solely on toys as its name suggests. We will be updating this section soon.
Beyond Toys is an umbrella term we have used to promote different activities either run by ourselves or in partnership with other organisations with the aim to encourage recycling, learn about the circular economy and respect for the environment in general. We have established an activity called “Respect for the environment by cleaning a local playground” and are working towards developing:
- a general recycling day where children learn about different materials and how they can be recycled. We hope that new ideas can be generated as to what to do with the plastics from toys that cannot be recycled.