Latest update – £2,630 raised so far
Thank you to everyone who has donated, shared or dropped by to say something kind – it genuinely keeps us going. We’re not at our goal yet, but every pound gets Southampton’s only free, standalone toy library closer to a stable future.
If you want to support Community Playlink, save Community Playlink, or donate to a toy library in Southampton, this is the campaign to follow and share.
What happened?
Community Playlink has been running Southampton’s free toy library, playtime sessions and toddler group support since 1974. After Southampton City Council was unable to renew our funding grant, we lost a significant part of the roughly £45,000 a year it costs to keep the Toy Library, Playtime and our Group Membership Scheme running, and we had to serve notice on our paid staff.
One of our members set up a GoFundMe fundraiser to support us following that news, and our brilliant staff have offered to volunteer their time for free while we look for longer-term funding – which is why our sessions at Swaythling Neighbourhood Centre are still running.
If you’d like to donate to the fundraiser, and it is within your means, then you can do so directly to the charity via our CAF donation page. We truly appreciate any support whatsoever, even if it is simply sharing the fundraiser around. Thank you!
Timeline of updates
- The Save Community Playlink fundraiser passes £2,630 raised. Thank you to every single donor and sharer – we’re still looking for sponsors, grant funders and regular donors to secure the service long term.
- Thanks to our staff volunteering their time and the support of the local community, the Toy Library and Playtime sessions continued at Swaythling Neighbourhood Centre on their usual days while we worked on a longer-term funding plan.
- News broke of Community Playlink’s funding crisis after Southampton City Council was unable to renew our grant. The Save Community Playlink GoFundMe fundraiser launched the same month.
Other ways to help
Fundraising isn’t the only way to support us – using and sharing our services keeps Community Playlink visible and valued across Southampton:
Frequently asked questions
- Is Community Playlink closing?
- We are not closed. We lost our council grant and had to serve notice on our paid staff, but they have offered to volunteer their time and our Toy Library and Playtime sessions are continuing at Swaythling Neighbourhood Centre while we raise the funding needed to secure the service long term.
- How much has the fundraiser raised?
- As of our latest update, £2,630 has been raised towards keeping Southampton’s free toy library running.
- How can I help besides donating money?
- Share the fundraiser, donate good-quality used toys, volunteer your time, or make use of our services such as the toy library, playtime sessions, toddler groups and party hire.
Why Southampton still needs a free toy library
Southampton doesn’t really have a like-for-like alternative to Community Playlink. Sure Start Weston’s toy library has been unavailable for some time, and while some Best Start Family Hub sessions include a toy or book library, they’re folded into a general “what’s on” timetable rather than run as a dedicated, city-wide service. For fifty years, Community Playlink has been the one place families across Southampton can borrow toys, sports and play equipment completely free – that’s exactly what this fundraiser is protecting.
More than just Swaythling
Our main Toy Library runs from Swaythling Neighbourhood Centre, but we also support toy library sessions at Clovelly Children’s Centre in Newtown and Pickles Coppice Children’s Centre in Millbrook – so however far this fundraiser reaches, it’s helping families right across the city, not just one neighbourhood. Didn’t know a toy library ran near Newtown or Millbrook? Get in touch and we’ll point you to your nearest session.
What your donation actually protects
This isn’t just a general appeal – it keeps very specific things running:
- Specialist and sensory toys for children with additional needs or disabilities
- EYFS and Key Stage 1–3 aligned educational toys, puzzles and games
- Our Group Membership Scheme, which lets childminders and nurseries across Southampton bulk-loan toys on a long-term basis
- Affordable, charity-run Party Hire – unlike commercial soft play and bouncy castle hire companies in Southampton, every pound spent with us goes straight back into keeping the Toy Library free
As featured in the press
Our funding crisis was covered by the BBC and regional media after Southampton City Council was unable to renew our grant. If that’s how you found us – thank you for reading this far, and thank you in advance for anything you can do to help, whether that’s a donation, a share, or simply telling another Southampton parent that we exist.