December Newsletter 2024
Toddler Group!
We have started a new baby & toddler group at Wallsend Salvation Army, Union Street on a Tuesday 1.30-3pm. Perfect for children aged 0-4, our sessions are designed to support early years development through interactive activities and sensory play. Contact the Project for more details.
Unfortunately we have had to stop our toddler group at Footprints Day Nursery because the nursery is so busy and they require the room to be set up for their children. We are very grateful to Footprints Day Nursery for allowing us to use the room for so long.
Deb Walters
As most people already know Deb decided to take early retirement at the end of October. Deb was a very valued member of the team and she is greatly missed by all in the project.
Before she left we asked her what her 3 all time
favourite toys/games are in the toy library.
Busy Ball Drop from the baby section "Mesmirising from such a simple concept" Deb played with this toy at many toddler groups with many babies.
Foxy Pants game "the anticipation of when his pants are going to disappear and you have to scramble to get the chickens." Deb played this with many groups of children at the Stay and Play session held at the Islamic Cultural Centre.
Lego Harry Potter Hedwig "I had great joy taking Hedwig home to build."
Funding
In November we were lucky to have one of our current funders The Shears Foundation come to visit our project. It was lovely to tell Bruce and Carla about all the great work we do in the project and to find out about the history and ethos of the Shears Foundation.
Thank you to The Bernicia Foundation for their generous grant.
Donations
Children of the Revolution donated some really top quality toys and games. We kept some for the Toy Library but we also used some for our raffle prizes.Thank you so much.
We would like to say a massive thank you to Tesco Norham Road, and Morrison's Tynemouth, for donating selection boxes for us to give out at our toddler groups. They are both always great supporters of our project and we really appreciate it.
Thanks to those who have bought a gift membership to Pay It Forward you really do make a difference.
Thank you to everyone who bought a raffle ticket to support our charity. Those who won prizes will have been notified directly.
Volunteers
Some of you may have seen Carol, our treasurer, who supports in the project 1 day each week. Carol is always working on various funding applications from home too.
We have Jamie who helps us out in the project for a few hours during school holidays, he is great at helping with the "techy" stuff and helps Carol with filing and funding.
We have our newest volunteer Becky who has got stuck right in doing various jobs in the project from checking and cleaning toys, carefully choosing toys for our toddler group, helping out at the toddler group. She has also brought great admin skills and has helped update our membership form and passed on some really helpful tips.
We have our management committee team who work on various legalities (GDPR, policies and procedures, safeguarding and so on) to ensure we are compliant.
We would like to say a huge thank you to all our Volunteers for all the hard work and support it really is appreciated.
Equipment
We have had an increase in equipment sales recently, in particular fire guards, stair gates and safety packs. These are all at a subsidised cost. If you are interested in purchasing please get in touch.
Remember we also hire out for long and short term loans (travel cots, high chairs, baby monitors, and buggies) so if you have family visiting or you're visiting family yourself, these items might be helpful to loan over the festive period.
Gift Membership
Looking for a gift idea this year. Don't forget you can buy a gift membership from us. The cost for a 2 toy membership for a year is only £7.00 amazing value since you can loan 2 toys at a time.
Maybe think about paying forward a membership for a family in need in lieu of Christmas cards.
The Project will close on Friday 20th December and reopen on Monday 6th January 2025. We would like to wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
