From Monday March 1^st Tish Tash Toys agents will no longer be required to pass on individual customer details when placing orders. You will simply place one order for all the items you require. You will receive the same level of discount as you currently do. This will save you a lot of time and make ordering much easier.

To further simplify ordering, head office will no longer be taking card payments from individual customers. You will just make one payment for your your online order. As a part of running your own self-employed enterprise, it will be your decision which payment methods you accept. You may choose to just take cheques or cash payments or you can set up your own card payment service.

One of the easiest ways to take card payments is to set up a Paypal account. These are free to set up. When you log into Paypal you can very simply request payments from people by emailing them. Your customers do not even need a Paypal account to pay in this way. They just pay using their card.

It’s even easier if your customer has a PayPal account – when they place their order with you – simply give them your email address and they send a payment to you. This has the added bonus of not dealing with people’s credit/debit cards, which of course has security implications. You can then give your customers the reassurance that you do not keep their card details (on bits of paper etc!)

So – when you are at a party or an event, all you need to do is ensure that those customers who wish to pay by card give you their email address on the order form – so you can email them their Paypal invoice. Our current order forms request card details which will change when we reprint them. In the meantime, ask customers to just provide an email NOT card details.

We think you will find it a lot easier to send a quick email to a customer who wants to pay by card rather than having to record and process complicated card details and all the card errors which often occur and can take several days to resolve!

An almost identical card payment service is available from Google Checkout. It depends which one you prefer.

You can of course just take cash payments, and cheques direct to yourself. You can also ask customers (who don’t carry enough cash) to make a simple online banking transfer – into your bank account. If you do large events – you can hire card terminals for the day. We’ve done this for baby shows etc – see 123 Send There is also an increasing number of options to take card payments via Smartphones eg i-phone or Blackberry’s.

Click here for more info on becoming an agent for Tish Tash Toys.

Are you looking for a flexible job, something fun where you are in charge for a change! Being a direct sales agent for Tish Tash Toys could be the perfect solution giving you the opportunity to start earning extra straight away.

Many of our agents are busy Mums, some with a job as well, who find that running their own Tish Tash Toys business is a way to make money and lots of new friends too! You can simply pass a catalogue or two around friends and family and take orders or create a more profitable career. There is the potential to earn a lot more if you arrange toy parties, visit playgroups and attend school fairs.

If you are looking for a way to earn extra working from home, then becoming an agent for Tish Tash Toys could be the perfect solution for you. Tish Tash Toys is a family business based in Devon, which was set up almost five years ago by Sharon and Daniel Pavey. They have two children of their own, Alexander is four and Natasha (or Tish Tash !) is seven years old.

There are currently around 150 Tish Tash Toys agents across the UK. Agents choose when and where they work, from toy parties and coffee mornings at local baby groups and nurseries to exhibiting at fetes, fairs and baby shows. You can be confident about selling good quality toys from a range of suppliers from Pintoy and Plan Toys to Manhattan Toy and Le Toy Van. Most of the range is environmentally friendly, with a good selection of traditional and wooden toys.

Want to chat to someone about becoming a work at home agent? Click here.

We asked all our Tish Tash Toys agents for their ideas of what constitutes a successful home or direct seller and here are the results.

Tish Tash Toys Senior Manager Melanie in Blandford, Dorset advises “Always ask everyone (all guests at parties/anyone you meet) about hosting their own party- don’t wait until people ask you. They will say no if they do not want a party – and you may get more positive responses than you thought!! Also - host your own party every so often. Its a good way to get toys for stock/your present cupboard. You can take advantage of the hostess offers yourself and hopefully drum up party interests from your guests!!”

Experienced Tish Tash Toys representative Mandie, based in Shropshire thinks having business cards is extremely important. “Have these to hand wherever you go, like the catalogues – carry them in your bag. When you do a party, event etc always have a pile on your table as you will be surprised how many people will pick them up – Vista Print is a good place to get them from. Plus, when doing parties I always put a business card loose in the pack so people can take it away.” Mandie is also busy putting up posters in her area. “Use Notice boards – everywhere – schools, pre-schools, toddler groups, libraries, village halls, village shop, post office, hospitals, anti-natal groups, hairdressers, dentists, doctors. Family & friends place of work – staff rooms etc.”

Bridgette represents Tish Tash Toys in Yorkshire. Bridgette says “If you have a stall at an event talk to the other stall holders it is a good way of finding out about other events. Know something about the manufacturers as people may ask about the ethical aspect of the toys. Do a lucky dip with your stall – this often covers the stall cost and then some and always keep customers up-to-date with order issues, customers tend to be understanding about any to follow orders as long as they know what is happening.

Eleanor in Lancashire adds “I always carry a few flyers and a product catalogue with me, so if I get chatting to someone I can give them a flyer with my details on, let them have a look at the catalogue, and hopefully get some contact details so I can send them a catalogue and newsletter. I also distribute flyers and/or catalogues to other stallholders if I do an event, and have managed to organise joint parties this way.”

Julia in Middlesex suggests compiling a database of the birthdays of your customers children/grandchildren etc with gender & age (with their permission). That way, 6-8 weeks before the big day you can offer them a party therefore giving them the opportunity to get presents & party bag goodies at a saving with a free gift as well.

Fiona in London says “consider giving free party bags (something that can be got cheaper in bulk) to people who have minimum order of a certain amount of which at least 2 or 3 items are for party bags. People love the idea of receiving something free!”

Gillian in Aberdeenshire says “At events talk to other stall holders to find out what they do, what works for them in the area, what other events they go to and would be worth attending. Also party swapping with other company agents is good to get new contacts.”

Jackie in Bristol suggests you should set yourself a target to get at least one party booking from each event/party – you can always use a bit a bribery (chocs, free gifts, etc) for first one to book a party.

Amanda in Southampton advises you to utilise your partners or husbands! Amanda says “I’ve given my partner a basket of toys to put on his desk at work, along with flyers and a couple of catalogues. His work colleagues seem to enjoy it, especially the roll tongue animals!”

Kate in Northumberland says “Team up with agents from different companies! I just started out with catalogues just before Christmas and didn’t want to do parties without stock so I teamed up with a friend doing a Phoenix Cards party. Got to hand out a lot of catalogues, got word out, a great response and good amount of orders. So a great starting point!”

Donna (above) in Essex adds “A tip I saw recently in a community hall used by a camera club – instead of a poster on the notice board – use a sheet of labels with each one printed on with your TTT details etc and potential customers can peel one off for a permanent record. This is ideal where leaflets & business cards can’t be left.”

Yvonne in Arbroath says “My tip would be to research your parties, find out who will be there: how old their kids are? Do they all know each other? Would they enjoy games? Birthdays coming up? That way the host feels you care about their party, and you know what toys to focus on/bring, what games to play or if games would just fall flat, and who to target for next parties or party bag toys!”

If you are interested in finding our more about becoming a Tish Tash Toys agent – simply click here.

I found a great website today called Modernselling.com

There is a write up from The Institute of Sales and Marketing Management’s Successful Selling Conference at Birmingham’s International Convention Centre on 15 October 2008.

Allan Pease, the Australian known variously as ‘Mr Body Language’ and the ‘King of Communication’, gave a serious message saying that salespeople must ‘know their numbers’ to succeed. He has based his entire sales career on a simple 5,4,3,1 ratio – on average, five calls will lead to four meetings, of which three will take place and one will result in a sale. ‘How many doors are you knocking on?’ he asked delegates.

The article can be found here

http://www.modernselling.com/sales-news-headlines/successful-selling-conference-2008.aspx

NEED GENERAL ADVICE ON PARTY PLAN SELLING – LOOK NO FURTHER THAN OUR NEW WEBSITE WWW.PARTYPLANTOGETHER.CO.UK

Article by Denise Deacon – Direct Sales Agent for Tish Tash Toys in Southampton

To party or not to party….

… well in financial terms to be out clubbing, partying, having meals out, or whatever takes your fancy will no doubt start taking a back seat during these time of locks on purses! You can still go out and socialise though – and earn money for yourself at the same time!

I’m going to introduce the party plan direct selling concept and of course recommend the company I now represent www.tishtashtoys.com who have a fantastic range of durable, educational and fun toys and they are great prices too! I will share some tips with you which I hope you will find useful too.

With all our cutbacks we will probably need to reduce what we buy for the children, but you know what we parents are like, we’ll go without ourselves first, the kids will still be bought presents for birthdays and Christmas, and I think Tish Tash Toys have a distinct advantage here with their product list.

I have had many years of party plan experience in totally different area and can totally vouch for the advantage of going party plan. It has benefits for all – a chance to get out, meet people, have a group of friends round and to share opinions for an “at home shop in” – a chance to really see the goods first hand in relaxed and informal environment, no parking charges, and being able to shop and have a cuppa at the same time in our busy lives sounds good to me!

Free products, discounts, incentives – whatever your choice of party plan has available, make sure you use to its full potential – nowhere else is the host going to get such fab deals and such great personal service as from you! The guests can benefit too from being able to try a bit before they buy (with Tish Tash Toys there is actually a full refund policy if not satisfied too) and if they cannot afford to buy everything they want at that party, well then they can host the next one!

It works by allowing customers to spread their shopping outgoings as well as being able to get some of the host deals themselves – and allowing fellow friends and acquaintances at that party to do the same. Of course for you the professional party planner, that gives you the leads you need and to work with that in mind you will find your parties have a snowball effect.

Always be approachable and beware not to show disappointment if someone says no they do not want to book a party, just let them know your details so they can shop direct with you anytime. I have seen some demonstrators just totally shut down when they have not got a party booking from their host’s party and that is not exactly the most encouraging way to tempt anyone! Don’t ever assume a person will say no, give everyone attending the opportunity of booking a party – if you don’t ask how will you know?! By showing everyone you are still as friendly and helpful whatever they choose to do will win for you ultimately. Ensure you give personal customer service, be ready to help – go that extra mile and it will pay dividends!

Getting party bookings

Make yourself the all important contact list. Write everyone you can think of down. Friends, family, acquaintances, but don’t stop there, write down people you don’t know too – contacts from Doctors, Dentists, Hairdressers, schools, childrens’ friends parents.

Don’t forget the numerous organisations in your local area and attending fundraising events is great way to get your new business known. Keep that contact list throughout your party plan career, keep adding to it, you will find as you write this list more ideas will bound into your mind and it just snowballs. As I said before ask everyone! If they really really don’t want to book you for a party, don’t give up – just let them have your details and ask that if they come across anyone who would like a party if they would be as kind as to pass on your details (you can even say you would give a token reward as a thank you – even a little thank you note would be enough).

Perhaps contacts could have a catalogue party for you – by taking the catalogue into work or circulating it around friends. They could collate an order which you could treat as a prty for them. Make sure you get into the habit of getting at least 2 party bookings at every party as your target, take advance bookings, get regular bookings – book in a couple a year. At events use free prize draws as they are extremely useful for contacts.

At toy parties you can ask for referrals from guests – they may know someone who loves hosting parties, someone who would love the toys or someone who was disappointed they could not attend – just ask them to give you some contact details, within a day or two of receiving that information contact them, say you were sorry they were unable to make the party, did they want to see a catalogue, would they be interested in booking a party of their own. Always be friendly & polite, not pushy – we all know what it like when we get those nuisance calls selling DG!!

Say their friend ‘name’ wondered if they might be interested and thank them for their time, if they refuse just finish up by saying well if there is ever anything you can help them with to give you a call, or they can visit your website to place an order anytime. Remember people have their reasons for not wanting a party but there are usually other avenues they’ll be interested in if they know about them!

What does PARTY mean?

Polite – always be friendly and polite

Ask – always ask otherwise how will you know?

Referral – ask for referrals – people always know someone (even fundraisers)

Thank – always thank everyone – we all like that little acknowledgement

Yes – this is the answer you will get, don’t give up after a few no’s!

Some Useful Links – Information on Working from Home

http://www.homeworkinguk.com/

http://www.dsa.org.uk/ – Direct Selling Association

http://www.partyplan.co.uk/asp/partygames.asp – Party Games

http://www.publishingcircles.com/party_plan_business.html – more info about party plan business

Thank you so much to Denise for putting together such wonderful advice on selling from home,  this is so useful whether you are selling toys, make-up, kids clothes, books, perfume, jewellery or something else! If you would like to know more about working from home with Tish Tash Toys – please see our website www.tishtashtoys.com

 Article by Bridgette Barrett

In today’s financial climate, most households are looking for ways to beat the credit crunch – after all, none of us want to have to give up the things that we have worked so hard for. Whether it is earning extra money to pay the bills or to make sure that you can still have some of the things you might consider luxuries, such as a family holiday abroad.

There are many suggestions of ways to cut your outgoings, from giving up those little luxuries – such as one man’s idea of cutting out his daily takeaway coffee – to the more drastic suggestion of selling your car. Buying second hand items has seen a revival and car boot sales are becoming increasingly popular, as people raise money by selling their unwanted items and other people save money buying from them.

Maybe now is the time to revisit past New Years’ resolutions such as those to get fit by walking or cycling instead of taking the car where possible. It has been calculated that in this country we waste approximately a third of the food that we buy, so being more cautious about what we throw away and using up leftovers can help us to save money. Growing your own food has seen a revival with vegetable seed sales now outstripping those of flower seed sales. Turning down your heating a few degrees, or putting on an extra layer of clothes can help reduce heating costs as we move into autumn and winter.

However, a preferable option is to earn more money to pay the increasing living costs that we all face. One way of boosting your income may be to take on a job working from home on a part-time basis. Direct sales companies such as Tish Tash Toys have seen an increase in people interested in jobs that will earn them extra income whilst working the hours they choose. This means that you can work around an existing job or family commitments. Many of the agents working for Tish Tash Toys chose to do so for exactly those reasons, and with a start up pack from as little as £9.99 it is an affordable option in today’s financial climate.

Just returned from having fun beside the seaside at The Brighton Baby Expo at The Brighton Centre. I have very sore aching feet but it was certainly worthwhile as we now have 5 more party plan agents who signed up at the show. A big warm welcome ladies, I hope you will enjoy joining our team and earning extra selling Tish Tash Toys at toy parties, coffee mornings etc!

This and all the enquiries we’ve had today about working for Tish Tash Toys at home, is really wonderful and makes it all worthwhile. I’ve left my little family in their Daddy’s capable hands for three days to do this show and can’t wait to be back home in North Yorkshire again.

The show itself was very well organised by Suzanne Borrell and her team at Sussex based SMB Events. I’m not sure how many people came through the doors today but it was jam-packed from about 11am – 1pm. Then busy until about 3pm, tailing off a bit after that. We gave out over 500 Tish Tash Toys catalogues, lots of purple balloons and had literally hundreds of people enter our prize draw. The stand was so busy at times – there were queues of people waiting to get to the front – how exciting!

The weather was amazing and there were so many fantastic stands covering everything possible for Mums to be and new mothers and their babies. My favourite stands were Yummy Lollies, Pushy Mothers, JAC Designs, Jakabel, JBPR Junior and Little Frog Interiors.

Great product ideas were to be found at the Hands Free Brolly Co Ltd and Beyond Chocolate. Amanda’s Action Kids was a small but hectic stand, with the music drawing people in. Sally Gunnell (who opened the show) looked radiant as she whooshed past my stand.

It was great to see Sam who runs Mummy Looks Fab again (hello!) and other businesses I’ve had the pleasure to exhibit with before like Little Timbers, Cuddledry and ABC Magazine. New friends include KitchenMonkey.co.uk who were lovely friendly neighbours all day. Hope you got back to Leicester safely and I will be in touch about the newsletter idea, thank you.

And finally – a big thank you to the simply superb Lauren who runs Fresh Agents in Brighton and came to help me out for the day. I could not have wished for better help and wouldn’t hesitate to use Fresh to source promotional or events staff in Sussex again.

Children’s indoor soft play centres are springing up everywhere these days and if you are running a home based business, you could tap into a very lucrative sales avenue.. This article was written by Jeni Hackett – HampshireTeam Leader for Tish Tash Toys

First of all, I’d say get the low down on your local soft play centre. If you don’t use it yourself, you probably know someone who does. The main thing to find out is whether you will be well received. Each soft play centre will have it’s own preference on whether or not they allow companies in to sell. As I’ve recently heard from one of my team members, her local soft play centre said no because the mum’s want to relax and have a cuppa while the kids go off and play. They don’t want to be “pestered” with the kids asking for the things on sale. Also, as Andy, one of our agents who runs an soft play area in Carlisle has said, space is a premium so any area you use is taking away valuable space.

It is definitely worth a call or visit though – you never know what your local activity centre manager will say. If they don’t allow you to go in, they may let you put up posters/flyers for free. Sharon, who runs Tish Tash Toys regularly leaves a stack of catalogues at three of her local kids play centres, Twiggy’s in Thirsk in North Yorkshire, Treasure Island in Boroughbridge and Funky Farm in Northallerton.

So, you’ve found a soft play centre that allows you to go in and you know mum’s are going to respond well…. What do you do next? Negotiate a good deal with the centre and sort out a date!

Next is to decide where to set up. The very successful centre I attended allowed me to be on a table right next to the door/exit. So, I got mums (and dads) going in and going out. The table was also very close to the paying desk and café so I, literally, had the best seat in the house.

I set up the table of Tish Tash Toys in the ‘usual’ way, displaying my toys in the best way I could and ensuring signage and flyers were very noticeable. As soon as I’d set up I realised I was on to a winner because here were my exact target audience and the toys can’t help but sell. I got a lot of interested mums early on and I gave out catalogues, order forms, etc. I did get some orders but I mainly sold loads of stock because the items are so great and affordable. I did get some orders afterwards which was an added bonus. I also managed to get a lot of interest in party bookings, which is fantastic.

When I thought I’d practically had everyone come to my table during the morning, I decided to pack up (also, my youngest daughter was getting a bit fed up of mummy not playing with her!!). When I did, I went round the building and handed out flyers and chatted to some of the mums. I’m glad to say that I recruited one of my new team members by doing that. As a double bonus, I recruited yet another new team member who saw our lovely ‘Happy Mummy Happy Baby’ flyers and asked about working for TTT.

So, all in all, a very successful day – lots of stock sold, orders taken, party interest and 2 fabulous team members.

I would say, give it a go – I’m going every month and probably twice a month near Christmas!!!

If you are interested in being an agent for Tish Tash Toys -why not come and chat with our agents on NetMums – we have a special Tish Tash Toys discussion area on there and you are most welcome to join us and ask any questions.

Article by Bridgette Barrett

It is estimated that as many as five million people will work from home on Thursday 15^th May 2008, and all with the encouragement of their employers. National Work at Home Day is the launch of Work Wise Week, highlighting smarter working practices.

The day is the initiative of Work Wise UK – a five year project supported by the TUC and Confederation of British Industry. It is aimed at encouraging businesses to give their employees the chance to work from home, and to try flexible working – which includes initiatives such as condensed hours and nine day fortnights – and remote working. The hope is that the day will enable both employers and employees to see the many benefits of working at home, in order to promote a better work/life balance.

Improvements in technology and the ability to easily share information over the internet means that home working is a more viable alternative than ever before for many firms. For example, British Telecom have 11,500 full time home workers and 64,000 flexible workers. Previous concerns about lack of social interaction have been reduced thanks to the upsurge of websites for home workers, and the ease with which workers can communicate with their co-workers whether they are down the road or at the other end of the country..

Between 1997 and 2007, the number of home workers increased from 2.3 million to 3.4 million. This trend has continued to the present day and is predicted to double by 2012. Of these home workers, 64% are self employed, and there has been a particular boom in the number of women setting up their own businesses and working from home. Many of them have done this specifically to achieve a better work/life balance once they have had a family. There are many successful companies that have started life on these foundations, such as Tish Tash Toys, Truly Madly Baby, and Cuddledry. Many of these companies have also gone on to support other people who wish to work from home by employing home workers in their businesses. Additionally, as in the case of Tish Tash Toys, some of them have a nationwide network of agents who all work at home on a commission basis. This enables many people – mothers particularly – to stay at home with their children and work around their needs, as well as avoiding complicated childcare issues such as the school holidays or children being sick.

As well as childcare issues, there are many other personal benefits of working from home. The daily commute is not only time consuming, it can also be costly, especially in the current climate of rising fuel prices. It has been calculated that in the South-East, the average commuter spends the equivalent of one working day each week commuting. This time spent commuting could instead be spent on leisure and family activities instead, which will have additional health and psychological benefits. It also means that people can start work unflustered and without the stress that can be caused by commuting. Many employers are starting to understand the benefits of having a healthier and happier workforce in terms of reduced sickness and better productivity.

For firms who are looking to reduce their carbon footprint, then giving employees the opportunity to work from home – if only for one or two days a week – could have a significant impact. More home workers means there are fewer commuters on the roads and using public transport. Research by Oxford University has shown that reducing the number of people making the daily commute can have an impact on carbon dioxide emissions. Fewer cars on the road will also reduce other forms of pollution, particularly in the large cities. Additionally, there will be less pressure on public transport, making commuting more bearable for those people who have to travel. There is also the possibility that families could reduce the number of cars they own if one member of the family was able to work from home, increasing the benefits to the environment.

Increasingly, as more people work from home, businesses are realising the savings that can be involved for them. Having home workers or flexible workers reduces the need for office space and the associated overheads. BT has calculated that by introducing flexible working and employing home workers they have saved £220 million in real estate costs alone over the last ten years, and travel costs have been reduced by £9.7 million a year. They have also seen a 20% increase in productivity. Many other companies are realising these benefits and are keen to take advantage of the improvements in technology and help their workforce to achieve that all important work/life balance.

Obviously, working at home is not possible for everyone. However, the days when ‘working at home’ was seen as a metaphor for having a day off seem to be over and Work at Home day is helping to publicise that.

For more information see www.workwiseuk.org

Choosing an Alternative to Plastic Toys.

By Jennifer Wells
Tish Tash Toys Representative
Hanslope, Milton Keynes

Before “Made in China” was molded into every piece of plastic on every toy in the high street stores, there must have been traditional toys, wooden toys? As a mum fed up with naff plastic toys around the house, I went on a search to find out what alternatives are out there today for mums like me who would like more old fashioned toys making my toddler and me smile again.

In ancient history such as the Graeco-Roman era, wooden horses on wheels were popular amongst children of the higher classes. As were toys that can still be found in many homes today, for example: dolls for girls or soldiers for boys. Wooden toys were, and are, long lasting and used to be handed down through generations – a tradition I would like to reinstate in my own family as I have nothing from my own childhood to share with my children, except one or two books.

Toys through the ages have been associated with teaching and practicing skills that will be useful to the child as an adult. Learning about the environment surrounding the child at the time is also reinforced through play.

Pretend kitchens and the associated equipment are still best sellers. Children’s pans, plates, play food and even ironing boards and kids pretend irons are popular too.

Other hits with kids today include toy swords or toy cars but the material used to make these classic toys is often different. I’m left questioning why, so back to the history books to find out…

The demise of the wooden toy seems to have been gradual to start with, but then a period of rapid change stems from a post World War Two Britain. The need for cheap pocket money toys was the primary concern in a post war Britain and the mass production of toys on a global scale also took off. New materials had come to the fore during this industrial period and in the name of modernisation, products continued to be developed in these mediums rather than returning to traditional crafted materials such as wood. The handcrafted unique nature of cherished toys was not seen as so important anymore, as the focus had moved onto making toys available to all. This was all about affordability over quality.

I still hold on to hope though, with the 21^st century shopping experience not being limited by the high streets around you. The online world traverses the country without racking up roadmiles and here a whole new world of opportunity greats me.

I am pleased to say I have stumbled across a range of beautiful wooden and educational children’s toys at Tish Tash Toys. A family run business, lead by a mum who wanted to spend more time playing with wooden toys with her own children. What is more sensible than to have a mum picking toys that her children enjoy to share with other families?

There is also an ethos of the traditional, wooden and fair trade with Tish Tash Toys. The company also raises money for Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity through offering customers the opportunity to purchase certain ‘Rainbow Range’ toys. A percentage of what you pay goes to the charity.

I have a new-found faith that these products really will live up to my expectations. To be enjoyed by my son for more than a few minutes before he toddles over, accidentally sits on it and breaks part of the plastic molding thus making the product have a sharp edge and having to be put out of reach before being glued together or considered for recycling.

These frustrations have dissipated, with hand picked toys coming from a range of suppliers – Pintoy, Wood Like To Play, Le Toy Van and many others. A plethora of toys made of wood can be found among the pages of the Tish Tash Toys catalogue. There are some plastic toys but lots of wooden baby toys, new baby gifts and children’s toys.

Fair trade soft toys and musical instruments also adorn the website, but it is the charm of the wooden toys that pulls you in. The most popular toys seem to be those that have stood the test of time like cars, or quaint little play farms, wooden play food and kids kitchen equipment along with puzzles, jigsaws and board games.

My favourites so far are the Pintoy construction toys which are wonderful and the wooden puzzles and shape sorters are second to none. I think I may need to commission a house extension for all these gorgeous toys that I feel now must be part of my sons life!!!

In these days of global warming, recycling and reducing our carbon footprint, why is the toy market being neglected? It surely is a multi-billion pound business so why are we not thinking about green toys or eco friendly toys?

There must be a market for locally produced toys and bio degradable wooden toys? This industry along with the promotion of reusable nappies could, if it so wished, make a dramatic dent in the landfill problems of our tiny Island. So let us hope that more people become aware of toy sellers like Tish Tash Toys and feel inspired to leave the plastic objects of the high street far behind and stay with wood forever! Would you consider the switch?