Big numbers to Lego charity puts pressure on resources
A massive increase in visitors to a popular Christchurch Lego charity is putting pressure on its resources as public donations drop.
The Imagination Station, which allows children and adults to play in vast Lego and Duplo pits for free and offers workshops in Lego robotics, moved into Christchurch’s new $92 million library Tu¯ ranga when the building opened in October last year. Since then the number of visitors to the station has increased 140 per cent, but donations have dropped by 150 per cent.
Imagination Station managing director Sam Butcher said based on the numbers for the first six months, he expected to see 120,000 visitors in the first year, up from about 50,000 when the station was operating from a space in Cathedral Junction.
While it was great to see so many people now using the Imagination Station, it meant the station has had to increase the hours of its paid staff and boost volunteer numbers from about 35 to 70, he said. It has done all this while donations from the public have dropped from $20,000 annually to about $5000.
‘‘We don’t pay volunteers but we still have a number of costs associated with that. We provide them T-shirts and name badges.’’
Butcher said people believed the Imagination Station was now part of the city council because of its location and he could see how people would come to that conclusion. However, the station was still a separate entity and was responsible for all costs related to the initiative.
The station was working on ways to change people’s perception and increase donations.
About $200,000 was needed annually to operate the venture. It relied on money from funding agencies and local businesses to keep running.
‘‘Some of our funders have decided not to continue funding Imagination Station now that we are working alongside the city council, which has been a real shame.’’
It did not have to pay a rental for the first floor play space, but paid the council a percentage of the revenue it gained from all its education classes, which was one of its main revenue streams. The percentage it paid to the council was about the same as what it had paid in rent for the Cathedral Junction building, because that was heavily subsidised, Butcher said.
About 55 per cent of its visitors go to Tu¯ ranga especially for the Imagination Station and 80 per cent use library services while there. Some 61 per cent said they planned to explore the city while in town. ‘‘That’s almost 80,000 extra visitors in the central city each year.’’
Christchurch city councillors decided last week to donate
$40,000 worth of their directors’ fees to the Imagination Station. The Christchurch Brick Show at Horncastle Arena on July 13 and
14 would also raise money for the Imagination Station.