The service welcomes new members and volunteers.

The toy library’s coordinator, Alexa Harvey, said she loved the toy library from an environmental and cost saving point of view.

Volunteers are behind the non-profit community service which provides toys, from puzzles to outdoor toys, to borrow.

The toy library gives families low-cost access to high quality recreational and educational resources for children.

The annual membership fee costs $25 and toy borrowing prices range from 55 cents to $5.50 a fortnight.

Toy hire and membership fees are the toy library’s primary funding source.

The Port Macquarie Toy Library has operated for 20 years after a group of mothers established the service thanks to a council grant and donations from service groups and businesses.

Mrs Harvey said borrowing through the toy library gave parents insights into what their children loved.

She said the social aspect of coming together to borrow the toys and the environmental impact were attractive to parents.

“Parents recommend toys as well,” Mrs Harvey said.

The toys are suitable for children aged up to about five years.

Mother-of-three Jessica Gullick said the toy library had a family-friendly atmosphere.

“The fact they [the children] can get new toys every fortnight is awesome,” she said.

“It’s so much better than buying the toys all the time.”

The Port Macquarie Neighbourhood Centre auspices the toy library, which runs from the neighbourhood centre at the corner of Dodds and Muston streets from 9.30am to 11am on Saturdays.

More information is available on the service’s Facebook page.

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