North Tyneside’s Baby Equipment Loan Service and Toy Library (BELS) has secured £10,000 grant funding from The Bernicia Foundation to continue its vital work providing an affordable, high-quality toy and baby equipment loan service for families across the region.
Founded over 40 years ago by the Young Women’s Group in Rosehill, near Wallsend, BELS has grown into an valuable service, now supporting more than 120 families.
It loans items to families at minimal cost from cots to highchairs, soft toys to puzzles, all of which are professionally cleaned, inspected and ready for use. It saves families the cost of having to buy expensive items upfront which they can return when their children outgrow them.
Originally established to promote the health and wellbeing of children and young people in North Tyneside, the female-founded initiative gives members access to over 4,000 toys and educational resources for just £7 per year. This provides children with a wide variety of fun and enriching play opportunities and champions sustainability through toy reuse.
Carol Dennison, Treasurer, trustee and a founding member of BELS, said: “Our goal has always been to support families and respond to their needs.
“Initially we started this service as a way for single mothers to get hold of essential second-hand baby equipment. Today, we offer a range of new resources, such as sensory toys for children with special needs, party packs, and we have also started to run community groups for families. We’ve listened to what our community tells us.”
The Bernicia Foundation grant has directly supported staffing costs, helping the organisation maintain its team of volunteers and paid staff, many of whom have benefited directly from the service.
With demand on the rise due to the ongoing cost of living crisis, BELS remains an essential service for many local parents. Whether it’s a board game to encourage screen-free evenings or a fancy-dress costume for World Book Day or Halloween, the Toy Library offers affordable and sustainable fun and relief for many.
Next month The Bernicia Foundation will launch its next round of Inclusion and Inspiration Grants, which support projects to deliver lasting community benefit and help young people to fulfil their potential.
If you have a project that could benefit from a Benicia Foundation grant, click here. Applications for the 2025 funding round open on the 30 June 2025. For more information about BELS and their work, visit belsnorthtyneside.org.uk.
