Long-running Portsmouth charity Connors Toy Library holds picnic for hundreds of people on Cockleshell Fields in Eastney

The event was run by Connors Toy Library and was held on the Cockleshell Playing Fields in Eastney.

It was open to everyone and was a celebration of the charity which aids families all across the city.

Karen Drayton, 52, manager of Connors Toy Library, said: ‘This is a new venue to us which is a big change but it is really nice seeing everyone turn up.

‘It is all about coming together to enjoy the day.’

The charity, established in 1973, was founded through a grant given by the then Lord Mayor Dennis Connors Fund.

The funding allowed the charity to hold sessions in St Marys Hospital for children with Down Syndrome and their families to come together for support, whilst also offering toys for the children to play with and borrow to increase their development.

There was a high demand all across the city for more sessions for all families to attend and the charity now has a number of sessions available, which sees approximately 2,000 families use the facilities.

Coralee Graham, mum of two, has been volunteering for the charity for a year, and previously took her little boy to the sessions.

Coralee said: ‘I think it helped me. It was a massive help to interact with children and other parents.

‘It kept me sane, it really has.’

The charity set up the Outreach Project which provides one-to-one support to families who suffering from postnatal depression and struggling with isolation.

The Cockleshell Playing Field was bursting at the seams as people from all over Portsmouth came together to get involved in the spectacular array of activities provided.

The picnic saw a mini fun fair, a pop up village, a bouncy castle, raffles, stalls and an extensive range of toys.

The mobile library also attended the picnic and it had a range of books and talking books that could be borrowed by children of all ages. The mobile bus operates across Portsmouth five days a week to help encourage education.

Kevin Fargin, driver of the mobile bus at the picnic, said: ‘The idea of the toy library and the fact that kids from disadvantaged backgrounds have got the ability to play with kids toys - I think it is fantastic.’

Stacey Dyce, 35, attends the Buckland sessions and that they have been a great help to her and her son.

She said: ‘It has been amazing. It brings parents together in the community, you meet new faces. People come from all different walks of life and come together and it is lovely.’

The charity was not only recognising the work it does, but was also celebrating because it has recently received money from the Lottery which amounts to £100,000.

The money will be put back into the charity and will also aid the restoration of the toys to ensure that the children are getting good quality toys to take home and play with.

The picnic fun day saw hundreds of families come together, and the charity received a generous contribution of £775, from Asda, which helped make the day possible.