The Family Library will be hosting its Lego Brick Show this weekend.
It’s an exhibition of impressive Lego builds and includes a raffle.
Library manager Sue Jolly said she’s excited to welcome back the Brick Show Guys, as she calls them, who create the exhibitions.
‘We are hoping to break the record of visitors and money raised,’ she said.
‘It will be free to visit and enter the exhibition at the Family Library, but we will be asking for donations, there is also a raffle kindly supported by JACs, and Lego together with Bridge Bookshop who will be selling Lego books.
‘We will have a book amnesty trolley near the entrance.’
She added: ‘Ever since I started working here way back in 2015, I’ve wanted to introduce the Family Library to the world of Lego.
‘The magic of Lego can never be underestimated, and the versatility never ceases to amaze me!’
The Douglas library’s first event in 2019 was the most-attended activity to be held in the library, raising more than £700.
‘In 2015, I’d started looking into the Family Library also becoming a Lego Innovation Studio. It would be the first in the island, which would cost £35,000 and we also had to have a five-year commitment which was our first hurdle as we’ve never had that financial stability,’ Sue said.
‘I’m just so glad that I didn’t give up! Through various contacts, a company Raising Robots became supporters of the Family Library.
‘For the 2019 Brick Show, it was able to send more than 99 small kits to be handed out to the first children who came through the doors.’
The Lego Brick Show is being sponsored by Elite Fitness.
Owner Stefan White said: ‘I was one of the original contributors in the Brick Show in 2019 and following the overwhelming success of this I was excited to help make it bigger and better next time around.
‘The work the Family Library do with the local children is fantastic and my family has benefited from their facilities over the years.
‘The Family Library is completely funded by donations so we were only happy to help generate some income for them as they were so generous in hosting our event.
‘I rediscovered my love for Lego as an adult about seven years ago. For me, it’s the ability to use your imagination and create something out of nothing, I treat it like an art form as I’m not one for following instructions.
‘Part of my display included a scale model of Elite Fitness gym, which generated a lot of interest.’
Elite Fitness has bought a large amount of Lego bricks, which it has used to create a small Isle of Man-themed set to give to the first 100 children that attend.
‘We were able to recycle small boxes from a local engineering company for each of the sets and everything is packaged within paper bags with paper instructions as we were keen to follow Lego’s example and reduce single use plastic,’ he added.
‘Hopefully this will now be the start of an annual event that will grow both in participants and audience and we can spread the joy of Lego and the work of the Family Library throughout the island.’
The Lego Brick Show takes place at the Family Library between 10am and 4pm tomorrow (Saturday).
Though there will be no opportunities for building, the Family Library holds an after-school Lego club on Fridays, with more than 80 children already signed up.