Free toy swap at St Bees Village Hall this Saturday, bring what you can, take what you need Free toy swap at St Bees Village Hall on Saturday 7 November to help families before Christmas
Marra Mode is how your mate would tell you down the pub over a pint. Switch it off for the straight version.
Got a pile of toys the kids have grown out of? Take them to St Bees Village Hall from 2pm on Saturday and swap them for something 'new' for Christmas, all free.
If Christmas is already making your wallet twitch, or you've a cupboard full of toys the bairns have grown out of, this is for you.
The council's backing The Big Toy Swap, a national thing that started in Kendal, and the next one over our way is at St Bees Village Hall this Saturday, 7 November, from 2pm. There's already been one in Workington, and the council's own one is at Carlisle Market Hall on Friday 20 November, 9am to 5pm.
It's dead simple. Take along toys, games, puzzles and kids' books you don't need any more, and pick up something else for nowt. They just ask that stuff's clean, complete and in decent nick. Anything with batteries has to work properly, soft toys need a CE label, and they can't take anything broken, missing bits, unsafe or stained.
Council staff are collecting toys too, at West Cumbria House in Workington, the Market Hall in Whitehaven and other offices, and any extras can go on to other swaps round here.
Councillor Denise Rollo said: "The Big Toy Swap is a simple way to give those items a new home, prevent good-quality toys from going to waste and help families find Christmas gifts without the added expense."
So what can you do? Have a rummage this week, give whatever you find a wipe and make sure all the bits are there, then take it to St Bees Village Hall from 2pm on Saturday. And if you've got nowt to bring, go anyway. The council's words are bring what you can and take what you need.
Families can drop off toys, games, puzzles and children's books their children have outgrown and pick up others for free at a Big Toy Swap at St Bees Village Hall from 2pm on Saturday 7 November, backed by Cumberland Council.
This is for parents, grandparents and carers in West Cumbria who want to cut the cost of Christmas, and for anyone with a cupboard of toys their children have outgrown.
Cumberland Council is supporting The Big Toy Swap, a national campaign that started in Kendal, and the next community swap in West Cumbria is at St Bees Village Hall on Saturday 7 November from 2pm. A swap has already been held in Workington, and the council's own swap follows at Carlisle Market Hall on Friday 20 November, from 9am to 5pm.
The idea is simple: bring good-quality toys, games, puzzles and children's books your family no longer needs, and take home others for free. Organisers ask that items are clean, complete and in good condition. Battery-operated toys must be in full working order and soft toys must carry a CE label. Broken, incomplete, unsafe or stained items cannot be accepted.
Council staff are also collecting donated toys at West Cumbria House in Workington, the Market Hall in Whitehaven and other council offices, and the council's waste reduction team may pass surplus toys on to other swaps in the area.
Councillor Denise Rollo, Cumberland Council's executive member for sustainable, resilient and connected places, said: "The Big Toy Swap is a simple way to give those items a new home, prevent good-quality toys from going to waste and help families find Christmas gifts without the added expense."
What you can do: sort out anything your children have outgrown, check it is clean and complete, and take it along to St Bees Village Hall from 2pm on Saturday. You do not have to bring something to take something.