A group of dedicated woodworkers will this week be shipping off more than 500 toys to needy families.
Logan Make and Do (MAD) Woodworking Shed starts working on toys early each year, and when the shed starts to bulge at the edges, does a stocktake to find how many they can offload to disadvantaged children and families.
President Frank Smith said this year was a “bit of a shock” to find so many toys. Normally, about 400 were made but this year – with restrictions of Covid-19 a contributor – some of the woodworking team was spending time making a few extras from home.
The shed is open four days a week – Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday.
However, a group of about 12 people meet on Wednesdays to work specifically on the toys.
The shed relies heavily on donations of timber in order to complete their mission.
Most of the toymakers are retired. Of 120 members of the shed, about 20 are women.
Kingston East Community Centre, Mission Possible and Springwood Community Centre will this year be the beneficiaries of toys and will send them to those they feel are most in need.
“Last year, quite a few of the toys went to farming families who’d had such a tough year,” Mr Smith said.
“This year, we’ve made cradles, sewing machines, clotheslines, tractors, trucks, graders, all sorts of things.”
Mr Smith said the shed was currently short of timber and would welcome donations to the shed, at 16-18 Burchill St, Loganholme.
