Pimlico Toy Library Facing Closure Due to Budget Cuts
The Pimlico Toy Library is Facing Closure Due to Budget Cuts
after reading, please click through and leave a comment on the Westminster Chronicle story, this could help make a postitve impact: http://westminster.londoninformer.co.uk/2011/10/pimlico-toy-library-faces-axe.html
Though started well over 20 years ago, Pimlico Toy Library should be the jewel of The Big Society’s crown: Westminster’s best resource for families with very young children. It has a shoe-string budget, three staff member and gives back far more than it takes.
Most people can get by without a great deal of advice in a city that is not their home. You go to work and pay your bills. Once you have children, you then have to make connections with the community; if these connections are not made, then things can get very messy for some families. Carers of young children need to know when to get immunised, where the health visitor is, where to go to play, to get advice, support, help. They need places to take their children to interact with other children and make friends, without having to leave them on their own or pay a costly fee.
When I first moved to Pimlico, it was Sheila at the toy library who explained the system to get your child enrolled in a state nursery to me. It is Sheila who played with a very tired, non-English speaking mum’s child one day while the mum dozed, sitting with her back against the wall. Sheila speaks with carers about concerns over developmental delays; Sheila and Bianca can point you in the direction of quality child minders, other family-friendly amenities in the city and play with one of your small children while you tend to the other.
Despite what some in the Westminster City Council may think, the Pimlico Toy Library is not a place where middle class mothers send their nannies for the morning. It is one of the most important outreach programs in the area at the moment. This is where young mothers, old mothers, foreign mothers and life-long professional status residents of the neighbourhood are learning how to be parents.
This is exactly what Westminster needs more of, simple organisations that give back bucketfuls of their spoonful budgets. This is Big Society.
oh no, how sad !!!
l love the toy library it’s an amazing place for local mums
Sheila and Bianca wonderful helpful ladies.
I’m one of the foreign mother who lives in pimlico, I was so happy I found the toy library last year when I was a new mum.
that would be a big lost. please let me know if there’s anything we can do to avoid the closure of a great place for our community
Silvia
Hello Silvia, basically the local parents need to organise and do fundraising. I have loads of ideas, but time is really difficult to come by at the moment for me. Cash donations always welcome, and if begging offices to take the charity up as their cause is great. They can get some PR from London-baby.com’s blog and social network. Please email me [email protected] if you feel like brainstorming!! Laura