CREW & Honey House hosts Worthing community toy swap as part of nationwide Big Toy Swap

Families in Worthing are being invited to swap toys they no longer need for Christmas presents at a free community toy swap taking place at Audio Active on Friday 27th November.

The event is part of The Big Toy Swap, a growing nationwide campaign helping communities make Christmas gifting more affordable and less wasteful by keeping good toys in circulation.

The Worthing Big Toy Swap is being organised by Climate REsilience centre Worthing (CREW) and Honey House and will take place from 2 to 4:30 at Audio Active, 85-87 Montague St, Worthing BN11 3BN.

Families can bring along clean, good-quality toys their children have outgrown and exchange them for something new-to-them. This toy swap will have toys aimed at children aged 0-10 and you can take toys without donating, though a swap is preferable.

If you would like to drop toys off in advance, please take them to Norfolk House, South Street, Tarring, West Worthing, BN14 7NL. Please knock to leave donations - if no answer there will be instructions on where to leave in a safe hiding space. This drop off point is open from 4pm daily on Monday 23rd November through to Thursday 26th November. Follow our social media channels for updates in the weeks preceding the event. 

Tanwen Morgan, Trustee for CREW, who is organising the swap, said: “I was shocked to find out that over 80% of toys end up in landfill, the incinerator or the ocean (Ellen Macarthur Foundation, 2021). By swapping toys, rather than buying new, our children can still have the excitement of a new toy but we aren’t harming the planet. If we normalise second-hand toys from a young age, our children won’t question it!”

The event comes as families across the country look for ways to make Christmas more affordable. More than one in four adults say they will struggle to afford Christmas, rising to almost one in three parents (StepChange/YouGov, 2025). At the same time, around £900 million is spent on toys in the UK at Christmas (Circana).

Yet many perfectly usable toys are going to waste. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation found almost a third of UK parents have thrown away toys in good working order simply because their child had finished with them.

The Big Toy Swap hopes to offer a simple alternative: bring what you can and take what you need, without spending money or buying new.

Charlotte Mason-Curl, founder of Party Pact CIC, which created The Big Toy Swap, said: “Most people would be very happy to get a pre-loved present but feel awkward giving one. We want these toy swaps to make that normal, even something to be proud of – as well as saving families money.”

The Worthing Big Toy Swap takes place: When: Friday 27th November, 14:00-16:30 Where: Audio Active Worthing, 85-87 Montague St, Worthing BN11 3BN. Who: Open to everyone! How it works: Either drop your toys off at our drop-off points in the week leading up to the toy swap OR bring them on the day. Donations close at 4pm. Cost: Free but please sign up https://bookwhen.com/honeyhouse/e/ev-sbbi7-20261127140000 More information: follow our social media accounts for more information

Facebook: Climate REsilience centre Worthing - CREW

Instagram: @honeyhouse.club and @crew_worthing

Families can also find other swaps taking place around the country at nocrapparties.org/thebigtoyswap/find-a-swap.