Children’s fair to celebrate toy library relaunch

WINCHELSEA Community House will next week host a children’s fair to help celebrate the relaunch of the Winchelsea Toy Library.

Aimed at showcasing the local businesses and services catering to the community’s youngsters, the Winchelsea Children’s Fair will take place on Friday, February 7 at the Winchelsea Shire Hall between 2pm and 5pm.

Among the activities and programs on offer will be children’s Kung Fu classes, soft play run by the local playgroup, story time, badge-making with a representative from Geelong Regional Libraries and a variety of other sensory activities.

Community house manager Wendy Greaves said, with more families moving into the region, the not-for-profit organisation was eager to show them what’s available, and to raise their awareness of the library and the quality toys on offer.

“Toys are expensive to purchase, and children grow out of them very quickly,” she said.

“So, the benefits of toy libraries are you can borrow those things – and you can come back and borrow the same toy 10 times over, if your child really loves it – and that parents are saving money on purchasing toys that their children might not even engage with or might only use for a short period of their development.”

Aided by a $6,000 grant from Toy Libraries Australia, the Winchelsea Toy Library has recently undergone a significant revamp and now boasts a new range of sustainable toys, as well as upgraded storage and display shelving.

The toy library, which operates out of the Winchelsea Community House, allows families to borrow toys suitable for children up to five years of age, much like they would books from a book library.

Ms Greaves said many families also use the toy library to supplement the toys they have at home, as well as to trial toys before purchasing them.

Local businesses interested in participating in the children’s fair are encouraged to contact the Winchelsea Community House by emailing [email protected]