Cripplegate Ltd is the registered trustee of Cripplegate Foundation
Registered Charity 207499 Cripplegate Foundation Limited
Registered in England and Wales, Company Number 6129936 © 2021 Cripplegate Foundation
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The TOY Project was founded in 2013 by Jane Garfield and Angela Donovan and started life as a part-time operation run out of Jane’s living room. It soon outgrew the space and was moved to a small storage room in a community centre in Finsbury Park. In 2016, the now well-loved shop was opened as a pop-up shop on Junction Road, Archway to raise money to keep the charity going.
In Islington, 37% of children (that’s almost 15,000 children) are growing up in poverty. When you’re struggling to heat your home, or put food on the table, toys and play can feel out of reach for so many reasons. That’s why places like the Toy Project play such an important role in our community.
Cripplegate Foundation has been supporting the Toy Project since 2018 and, most recently provided funding to pay for a Lego specialist to join the Toy Project team 4 days a week.
This enabled the Toy Project to scale up their LEGO-based community work, supporting local families and individuals to access LEGO-based play. As one of the most popular play sessions they run, the Lego-based play saw huge demand and this role ensured these hugely popular sessions could reach even more people.
“We absolutely love the playroom, having access to free sessions for my child as a working parents is invaluable. My son particularly enjoys the Lego sessions, spending time with other children that enjoy Lego as much as he does and building relationships with kids his age through play. The work the playroom does is an integral part of the community.” – Parent of a child who attends the playroom.
As the number of attendees steadily increased, LEGO was ready and available for the children to use, and that the LEGO Specialist was available to support children, adults and people aged 50+ to build effectively and creatively with LEGO.
In addition, the LEGO Specialist sorted through donated LEGO, both sets and mixed bricks, supporting the Toy Project to increase their recycling capacity. Donations of LEGO from businesses and individuals were then repurposed for a range of local organisations and schools to support their LEGO clubs and LEGO therapy sessions.
And finally, some of the donated LEGO was sorted and designated for sale within the Toy Project’s shops and pop-ups to raise money for the charity and ensure the project was sustainable, which meant the team was able to keep the LEGO specialist employed following the end of the grant.
The right to play is enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the importance of ensuring children have opportunities and spaces to play, where they feel safe and can enjoy themselves, is now widely accepted. The Toy Project provides vital space, equipment, and support for children to enjoy themselves, learn and develop with friends and neighbours.
“I wanted to write to tell you what the toy project and the playroom means for my 11-year-old nonbinary child. The Lego club has been an absolute essential part for my child’s life for 3 years. The consistent thoughtfulness, the quality of attention and supportive atmosphere created at the playroom means my child has gained so much from attending there. The toy project has been above and beyond supportive of my child coming out as non-binary and it’s been a wonderfully safe space for my child to become themselves. “ – Parent of a child who attends The Playroom
Small charities, big impact
This Small Charity Week, Cripplegate Foundation will be sharing stories of the incredible small charities we work with in Islington. We invite you to get involved and show your love for small charities this week and beyond. Join us and/or share this story on LinkedIn – use #LoveYourSmallCharity and #SmallCharityWeek so we can find you!
The Toy Project was an Islington Council Community Chest funded project.Â
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Cripplegate Ltd is the registered trustee of Cripplegate Foundation
Registered Charity 207499 Cripplegate Foundation Limited
Registered in England and Wales, Company Number 6129936 © 2021 Cripplegate Foundation
Cripplegate Ltd is the registered trustee of Cripplegate Foundation
Registered Charity 207499 Cripplegate Foundation Limited
Registered in England and Wales, Company Number 6129936 © 2023 Cripplegate Foundation