Free sensory toy charity to close over funding

A charity which has been lending out free sensory toys to those with additional needs for 40 years is to close over a lack of funding.

The Learning Library in Spennymoor, County Durham, relied on grants which had become "increasingly challenging to access with the current climate for the charitable sector".

Manager Sarah Machin said the charity had helped thousands of families over the years and was in the process of winding down to vacate their premises in March. Five employees would be made redundant as a result, she said.

Mother-of-two Steph Maxwell, 39, from Consett, said she was "absolutely devastated" and there was "not enough out there" for families like hers.

The charity loans out specialist resources to anyone with additional needs in County Durham on a short-term basis, free of charge, and often delivers the items.

It has more than 4,000 toys including games to develop motor skills, musical instruments and sensory lights, which are currently being redistributed.

Machin recalled helping a family whose child would not sleep in their own room because of their anxiety, so they tried items like a dark den and cuddle balls.

"The whole family wasn't getting very much sleep, so we tried an awful lot of resources to see what was the best fit," she said.

"We eventually found a compression sheet that really worked for this family, and then the child was sleeping for a number of hours in their own bed."

Machin said the charity was supported by BBC Children in Need for years, but it had changed its criteria in 2025, meaning those who had received grants for nine consecutive years could not apply again for three years.

The charity said it had tried but could not get funding elsewhere to cover its £100,000-a-year costs.

"There's been a decline in what's available, and the criteria to apply has become more challenging," Machin said.

The charity now plans to close permanently.

"We're all going to leave here with some absolutely wonderful memories," she said.

"We do feel that we've made a difference in the lives of so many families throughout our years here."

Former recipient Lisa Ellis, 47, from Shildon, said The Learning Library had been a vital service, providing "a lifeline to many".

Maxwell, who had been using the charity on a monthly basis, said the team were an "incredible bunch of people".

Her son with additional needs loved their sensory swing, she said, and their daughter was able to enjoy it as well.

She said parents were able to try out equipment to see what worked before committing to purchasing it themselves.

"I'm just so sad that it's gone," Maxwell said. "It was a bit of a shock."

BBC Children in Need said it received thousands of funding applications each year.

"Right now, we are only able to fund one in six organisations that apply for funding and although the public are extremely generous in their support, we simply do not have the resources to fund all of these, and we have to make some really difficult decisions," a spokesperson said.

"It is with much thought and consideration that we have adapted our grants policy to reflect this."

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