About
Our mission is to provide safe and creative spaces for children and their adults to play, learn and interact and loan high quality toys which don’t cost the Earth.
Eight aims underpin our mission. These are to:
Support children to learn and develop and prepare for the next stage of their educational journey by learning through play.
Promote bonding and attachment between children and their parents or carers.
Reduce isolation and help parents to develop supportive social networks.
Promote the health and well-being of children and families
Provide volunteering opportunities and work experience to students and local residents.
Enable access to our services from all sections of our local community particularly those on a low income.
Represent the aims and interests of our members.
Promote the ethos of
reduce, reuse, recycle.
Our Team
The Toy Library is run by a volunteer board of trustees, all are local parents and carers and have been or are users of our services. They are elected at the AGM, which is open to all members to attend. We also have a dedicated staff team and regular volunteers who support all aspects of our work.
Chair of Trustees:
Noella Gooden
As a local mum and the proud Chair of Trustees at the Walthamstow Toy Library, Noella brings passion and energy to our vibrant community hub. With a love for reducing waste and championing sustainability, she’s on a mission to make playtime eco-friendly and fun for all. When she's not dreaming up new ways to support the Toy Library, you can find her exploring local parks with her child, or cheering from the sidelines at under 8’s football. Noella is dedicated to fostering a green, playful, and connected community here in Walthamstow.
Secretary:
Caroline Keech
Caroline is a Walthamstow resident for 40+ years and first used the Toy Library in February 1985 when her eldest was 2 weeks old. She has been a member of the committee, as it was then and now, having retired, is a volunteer at the Toy Library and has recently joined the Board of Trustees as secretary.
Treasurer:
Read Baurtally
Read’s journey with the charity began with a simple party reservation, and now, four years later, he’s proud to serve as its treasurer. Seeing the charity grow from strength to strength has been an incredible experience for Read, and he is honored to contribute to its success. With over a decade of experience as a chartered accountant and government finance professional, Read’s strives to keep the finances in good order, ensuring that every donation is used effectively. When not immersed in spreadsheets, you'll find Read cycling with his family, battling weeds in his garden, or exploring hiking trails.
Marketing:
Kayleigh Gray-Layton
A Walthamstow resident for 5 years, and with a toddler son, Kayleigh joined the board of trustees to put her career in fashion and advertising to use in ensuring the Toy Library services are seen and promoted by the people that will want to use them.
Legal:
Lorraine Pintér
Lorraine is a lawyer specialising in data protection. She has a young family and loves to rent toys from the Toy Library, whether that is for a party or for home use. Being a Trustee for the Toy Library has been a great opportunity for Lorraine to wear both her mummy hat and professional hat.
Sustainability:
Esme Cooke McGowan
Esme first learnt about the Toy Library when attending some of the sessions at the Walthamstow Library and has been bringing her two year old to the play sessions since. She joined the board of trustees after volunteering to help the Toy Library in its transition to the new site at William Morris Hall. She is passionate about sustainability, and loves the ethos of borrowing not buying.
CEO:
Helen Crockford
Helen has worked in education for over 25 years and has an MSc in Education for Sustainability and a PGCE in Secondary Science. She volunteered for the charity when her children were small. “The Toy Library is such a special place, for both people and planet, there’s nowhere else like it. I grew up by the seaside, so my favourite activity is the sand pit, with lots of loose parts – sticks, shells, pebbles, feathers and a bucket and spade”.
Leytonstone Operations Manager:
Alyshia Evans
Alyshia has worked in early years education for over 20 years and has a BA (Hons) in Early Childhood Studies. “I love the community spirit at the toy library, it's wonderful to see children and parents make friends and share their experiences. I love all our outdoor sports equipment, basket balls, hula hoops, quoits, you name it we have it!
Walthamstow Operations Manager:
Roushka Boyd
Roushka has a Business Management Degree and spent almost 20 years in the corporate sector. Motherhood inspired her to retrain as a Children's Yoga and Mindfulness teacher and she has also worked in schools as a Learning Support Assistant with SEND children. “I love working at the Toy Library because it gives me a sense of community. My favourite activities are puzzles and crafts”.
Play Worker:
Lesley Palmer
Lesley has an MA in Public Art and Design, Practice and Theory from Chelsea College of Arts. She set up her arts charity Scribble & Smudge at the Toy Library and delivers community arts projects in Waltham Forest and across London. “I love meeting families and watching the children learn and grow. My favourite toys are anything cause and effect, such as a drainpipe and stand with balls or cars. Hours of low cost fun!”.
Session Support Worker:
Gemma Loky
Gemma started as a volunteer. She was so brilliant we gave her a job. “The Toy Library is an important place to me, it helped me navigate my way through some difficult times and has impacted my life so positively. The opportunities that it offers young volunteers is great, from food safety training to paediatric first aid and the team are so supportive. My favourite toys are the small world toys, such as wild animals, dinosaurs and farm animals; combined with a tuff tray, there’s lots of possibilities”.
Play Worker:
Shamsa Tahir
Shamsa started volunteering with us whilst study for Childcare qualifications, she also has a Level 3 in Play Work. “I love working at the Toy Library, I enjoy meeting families and children, building relationships with them and giving advice if needed. My favourite toys are the musical ones and I love messy play, the messier the better”.
Play Worker:
Noreen Akram
Noreen started as a volunteer at the Toy Library. She has a Level 3 in SEND Childcare and is currently studying towards a Level 3 Diploma in Teaching and Learning. “I love working at the Toy Library and supporting families and young children in our community. My favourite toys are Happyland sets, there’s lots of imaginative play for children setting up different scenarios and I also enjoy painting”.
Play Worker:
Lisa Thomas
Lisa has over 20 years of early years education experience and has a BSc (Hons) degree in Child Psychology. “I love watching the development of the children who come regularly and share in the parent’s pride at their children’s achievements. My favourite toys are construction toys such as Magnatiles, they are open ended, you can get really creative with them”.
Events:
Melissa Bryant
Melissa has an NVQ Level 4 in Business Management. She started volunteering at the Toy LIbrary 12 years ago when her first child was born and then joined the Board of Trustees. Her years of experience in hospitality contributes to planning events, catering for fundraising events, and generally getting involved with all the fun stuff including birthday parties and delivering toys to families. “My favourite activity is the mud kitchen. It brings back memories of when I was a kid making mud cakes in our back garden. The endless imagination of mixing potions, making dishes, and generally getting messy is such a happy sight”.
Session Support Worker:
Freda Owusu
Freda has a BA (Hons) in Public Services and Level 3 in Early Years Childcare. “I enjoy engaging with children and supporting their development. I am passionate about helping mothers and giving back to my local community. I love all the puzzles; we have a lot at both sites which I often borrow!”.
Volunteering
Volunteer roles include supporting staff with the planning and delivery of play sessions, maintaining the space and equipment, gardening, event management, communications, admin and finance. We always need people to help out at play sessions, maintain the garden and equipment, create display boards or help prepare craft activities.
We also need one-off volunteers to help out at all our fundraising events, including the May Fair and Santa’s Grotto; from taking tickets, to helping on a stall or even baking cakes and biscuits. It all helps!
If you are interested in volunteering at the Toy Library, please email hello@walthamstowtoylibrary.org and include which site you would like to support.
Current Job Vacancies
There are no current vacancies.
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