Amersham Toy Re-homing – help your pocket, the planet and your sanity!
As a parent with young children, do you ever feel as if toys are taking over your home and your life?
With all the gifting during the Christmas period, on birthdays and all throughout the year, we all end up with a house so full of Lego, cars and teddies that they spill out of every drawer and cupboard. We constantly fight to declutter, and we only end up buying new ones later on. Each one of these precious toys are expensive and take a lot of energy and resources to build and mostly end up in landfill.
In comes the Toy Swap movement!
Sustainable Amersham’s first ever Toy Swap came to Amersham on Saturday the 24th of February as part of their “little green adventures”.
Local families could bring in their pre-loved toys and swap them for different ones giving these items a breath of new life by rehoming them. This keeps the unwanted toys away from landfill reducing the need for new purchases that impact our planet so much.
Reinforcing having “one toy in, one toy out” helps kids part with their beloved items while giving them something new to play with. It is so much fun!
50 families came to Amersham Library with most bringing toys to swap. Those who learned about this event as they were passing by could still participate by having a browse and taking some toys for a small donation.
200 toys were re-homed and the little ones went away very excited with their new “purchases”.
Our top “shopper” took 12 toys. The most beautiful toy donated was a stunning 3-storey wooden Barbie house, that would have been the treat of my 10-year-old self that went to a good home.
There were also a lot of puzzles, books and baby toys, including a number of walkers and a lovely wooden activity table.
We also had a lot of costumes ready for World Book Day and many construction vehicles, teddies and dolls.
Parents were really happy with the experience, thought it “fun” and “useful” and were eager to find out when the next event was going to take place.
After the event we still had a number of toys left that will be taken to our next Toy Swap as well as to local charities, nurseries and schools.
If you like this event, subscribe to Sustainable Amersham’s newsletter to find out about the next Toy Swap (coming in June) and other “little green adventures” such as our family cooking session in April and a visit to a local farm in May.
Sustainable Amersham’s volunteers will be organising these and more “little green adventures” helped by funding from the Amersham & Villages Community Board and donations given by parents.
Let’s create a future where our children can thrive!