Auckland’s iconic Ponsonby Toy Library, part of the Ponsonby community for nearly three decades, is appealing to everyone to help it find a new home.
Run as a not-for-profit by dedicated volunteers, the Ponsonby Toy Library must vacate the premises in which it currently operates. The move is triggered by Auckland Council’s decision to sell the existing premises in St Mary’s Bay to support renovation of one of the neighbouring buildings.Victoria Carpenter, Chair of the Ponsonby Toy Library and the volunteer team are gutted by the decision.
“Born from a strong desire to support the families, the Ponsonby Toy Library opened nearly 30 years ago after months of planning and extensive fundraising efforts. Over the years we’ve grown to be an integral part of the Ponsonby community and we remain committed to providing for families in the area,” says Ms. Carpenter. “While this decision is difficult to accept, we respect Auckland Council’s decision and are focusing on searching for a new home”, she adds.
Today, the Ponsonby Toy Library goes beyond just providing toys for children.
She adds, “We understand that not all parents have a lot of disposable income and as the cost of living continues to increase, by having a membership with our toy library, families can save money and equally cut waste.”
The Ponsonby Toy Library is looking for a lock and leave facility that’s 50 square meters and can be easily accessed by a stroller. While they’d like exclusive access to the facility, they are open to sharing the premises with another large or small business if storage of the toys can be secured.
“There’s a sense of urgency in finding the new home as the existing premises is expected to be sold before July this year. We’re looking for support from our community to help us find a happy and friendly home for the toys so we can continue to enable families to build important connections and enhance children’s learning through play,” says Ms. Carpenter.
The Ponsonby Toy Library currently has a membership of about 200 families and offers nearly 3000 known and well-loved brands of toys for children aged six months to eight years, and services a growing local population. Please contact Victoria Carpenter if you have any leads or space available.
About Ponsonby Toy Library
Ponsonby Toy Library is a well-established not-for-profit community-based toy library that has been serving the Ponsonby community since 1992. Operating just like a book library, the Ponsonby Toy Library offers toys to around 200 members to enable educational, physical, psychological, social, and cultural development of the children through play.
For further information and property leasing contact: Victoria Carpenter on victoria@redkey.nz or 021 383 099. www.facebook.com/ponsonbytoylibrary
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