THIS year celebrating 25 years, the Bude Toy Library has definitely moved with the times.

All the toys, members and records are now on an easy-to-use computer system which enables the four volunteers who run the library to keep track of everything, including the most popular toys, some of which are re-loaned immediately after they are returned. This information was especially useful when the Toy Library were invited by Cornwall Councillor David Parsons to bid for a grant through the Councillors’ Community Chest Fund.

The new toys were officially unveiled recently at The Neetside Community Centre from where the Toy Library operates on a Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.

Cllr Parsons was very interested in the choices made and said: “It’s a pleasure to be able to allocate a grant to the Toy Library. Playing with good quality toys is important for children’s development but they can be expensive and often only used for a short period. I want to thank the volunteers that make this library successful. They work hard to keep it running. Bude is lucky to have people who are happy to undertake projects like this.”

Several of the toys are multi award winning, for instance the new Coding Critters for a screen free introduction to coding, and all will be available for members to hire out. The exciting large outdoor toys will also feature at various events during the summer when the library offers a Stay and Play and details will be found on their Facebook page.

Karen Russell, chair of the Toy Library, said: “We at Bude Toy Library would like to thank David for his generosity in awarding us this grant money and for his continuing support which is very much appreciated. We were able to replace a few of our much loved outdoor toys as well as invest in some high quality STEM toys which we know will be very popular. We had so much fun choosing these toys and we are sure the children will have just as much fun playing with them.”