News Archive

13.03.2012Two new recruits in the design department

Jason, lead designer, is a happy man now, as his team has been increased by another two illustrators!

With nearly 100 people applying for the vacant post with the company, it was a long haul sifting through them and hard choices had to be made.

April Nash, a BA Hons graduate from De Montfort University, Leics, was thrilled to be selected. On hearing of her appointment she commented…

23.02.2012See our bumper new crop of games and a jigsaw puzzle!

We are one of the few remaining companies that still manufactures games and jigsaw puzzles in the UK, and we have recently launched some exciting new products.

Our range of over a hundred products has increased by another six !

Says MD, Simon Newbery, “We’re really excited with our latest releases which have already received a resounding thumbs up from the trade !&rdquo…

22.12.2011Stockists' Christmas display competition

Thanks to all our stockists for their entries in our Christmas display competition. After much deliberation, the judges agreed that the entry from The Toy Box in Sherborne, Dorset was the winner. So congratulations to Sharon and Mark, hope you enjoy your luxury festive Christmas hamper !

Caption L to R: Christmas display competition winners Mark Horsman and Sharon James of…

20.12.2011A brighter Christmas for thousands of disadvantaged children across the UK

Over 500 different charities registered with In Kind Direct, one of The Prince’s Charities, are set to benefit from the generous donation of over 7,000 games and jigsaw puzzles from the toy manufacturer, Orchard Toys, just in time for Christmas !  

Nurseries, hospices, disability groups, women’s refuges and community groups are among the 230 charities which have already…

20.10.20112011 Christmas catalogue now available!

If you aren't already on our catalogue mailing list and you would like to receive our new Christmas catalogue, just leave us your details here.

14.10.2011A donation to help Great Ormond Street Hospital

When, back in the summer, Nicola Bearman approached our MD, Simon Newbery for a donation towards a fundraiser she was organising for Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), he was delighted to be in a position to help.

"We usually run down stock that we plan to discontinue before introducing a new line, but it just so happened that when Nicola contacted me we had a quantity of games and jigsaws…

07.10.2011Another Orchard Toys game wins a coveted GOLD award!

Yesterday, at the Right Start Magazine Awards in London we learned that Animal Safari had won the Gold award in the Best Toy 4-7 years category and we are all thrilled !

Go on safari to find the most animals in this fun, tactical, maths board game.

How many animals will you see? Roll the dice and choose how to move, collecting animals as you go. Be careful, other players may take…

05.10.2011The great Christmas giveaway !

Would you like to have £50 to spend this Christmas on Orchard Toys' games and jigsaws for your children? Then don’t delay, enter our exciting giveaway to be in with a chance to boost those presents under the Christmas tree !

What you have to do

Simply make a video review, of your children playing with any one of our games and…

03.10.2011Three new awards !

We are pleased to have won a Silver and Bronze award for Shape Snap and Three Little Pigs games respectively, in the Toys and Games, 3-…

03.10.2011Christmas mail order catalogues out soon !

Don't miss out, enter your details here to receive one of our exciting new Christmas Catalogues due out in a few weeks time!

In it you will find over 100 fun, educational games and jigsaw puzzles, including all our new releases. Inside you will also find a unique promotional code, to use when ordering by 'phone or online, which…

23.08.2011Three exciting new products !

Our three latest products are set to fly off the shelves in a pre Christmas rush!

Giant Road Jigsaw is not just a puzzle but an activity too. The 20 pieces of the jigsaw are cleverly designed so that they fit with any other piece, to make many different curving roadways on which boys and girls can play with their toy cars and trucks.

There is lots going on in this urban scene, and…

09.08.2011Win a Giant Farm Jigsaw !

Hot on the heels of our Teddy Bears' Picnic colouring competition we are now running a colouring competition for older children, 5-9 year olds. This time the picture to colour in is Giant Farm jigsaw puzzle.…

29.07.2011Toy Awards updates

Great news, we have just heard that all our games and jigsaw puzzles that were entered in the 2011 Awards of two prestigious magazine, are winners !

Alphabet Lotto, Animal Safari and Head Shoulders, Knees and Toes have all won awards in the Right Start magazine’s Best Toy Awards and Shape Snap and Three Little Pigs in the Practical Pre-School Magazine’s Awards 2011.

…

18.07.2011Win a Teddy Bears' Picnic jigsaw puzzle in our Summer Colouring Competition

Great news ! Help to keep your children occupied this summer holiday by entering our colouring competition. There’s a Teddy Bears' Picnic jigsaw puzle to be won for the best entry in each category.

Just go to the Teddy Bears' Picnic product page and click on download instructions.  You will be surprised…

13.06.2011Orchard Toys rings to the sound of children's voices!

Back in 2008  we worked closely with members of the Aquila Club, an out-of-school activity for 8 to 11 year olds, at Kinsale Junior School, Norwich. They had approached us for help with the design of a children’s boardgame they were developing as their entry in the Norfolk Food and Farming Challenge.*

Their game was designed to promote awareness of Norfolk’s fine, locally…

31.05.2011Surrey stockist wins bumper prize draw !

It was smiles all round in The Parade, Claygate, Surrey when the proprietor at Johnstons toy shop was told of her bumper win.

Mrs Karim had entered Orchard Toys’ prize draw, beating hundreds of other Orchard Toys' stockists across the country to win one each of all the games and jigsaw puzzles that the company has, so far, launched in 2011.

On hearing the good news Mrs…

26.05.2011Orchard Toys continues to support EACH

Orchard Toys is very happy to announce their continued support of EACH (East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices)* throughout this financial year.

When this new website was launched in April last year, online customers were given the opportunity to donate when placing their orders. This brought the online customers into line with mail order customers who had been able to donate to…

24.05.2011EACH Ride for Life

Sunday, May 15th saw five members of the Orchard Toys staff cycling and walking around the Thetford Forest (Norfolk) area in aid of East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (otherwise known as EACH) Ride for Life 

Other than Ben, our Operations Manager, who is a keen cyclist and Alison from Sales, who cycles to work every…

20.05.2011Fears for a Robot Generation

The British Toy and Hobby Association (BTHA) in conjunction with Play England has conducted new research revealing the harm a lack of play may have on future generations.

Experts revealed today (17th May) that children could become part of a ‘Robot Generation' lacking social skills, creative skills and the ability to interact with others if they are not given the opportunity…

25.03.2011Orchard Toys helps children in rural India

Last month a package of jigsaw puzzles, containing a quantity of Where in the Wood? and Who’s in the Jungle? were sent out to India, with the complements of Orchard Toys.

Working in conjunction with Travel Operators for Tigers (TOFT)*, we sent our jigsaws with Chairman, Julian Matthews, to one of their projects in forest village schools bordering tiger parks in India. They are very…

10.03.2011Pop to the Shops goes International

For a good number of years Pop to the Shops, the ever-popular shopping game, has been one of Orchard Toys’ consistent bestsellers. But because the play money comprises 50 pence, 10 pence and 20 pence pieces, it restricts the enjoyment of the game to UK shores only.

To further extend the appeal of the game, Orchard Toys has recently introduced International Pop to the Shops which has…

26.01.201140 not out !

All this week at the Toy Fair, Olympia, celebrations are taking place on stand B12. Why ? Because Orchard Toys is 40 this year, and we have chosen to celebrate with our trade customers and friends at the show.

It all began in the late sixties when Margaret Harvey opened a children’s nursery school. Before long, it became apparent that ‘activities with a purpose’, that…

02.12.2010Blog Sponsorship for Cybermummy Conference

On 25th June next year a plethora of mummy bloggers will be gathered in London to attend the 2nd Cybermummy Conference.

Their aims will be to network, share their thoughts and ideas, listen to speakers on relevant subjects and, of course, to have some fun ! 

Cathy James from the blog Nurture Store, http://nurturestore.co.uk/  will…

22.11.2010Little Puzzle Range Scoops a Gold Award!

The four double-sided jigsaw puzzles in the Little Puzzles range, Little Diplodocus; Little Bus; Little Tractor and Little Triceratops have won a Gold Award in the 2010 Top Toys Awards.

This is the first year for the Top Toys Awards which were founded in the wake of the long-running National Association of Toys and Leisure Libraries (NATLL) Awards, when they were discontinued last year.

18.11.2010Ski Famille support Orchard Toys

Thanks to a British company, children’s award-winning games and jigsaws will be available for children and families to play with during their Alpine ski holidays.

Ski Famille have recently put a large selection of Orchard Toys’ products into their chalets for the benefit of their guests and children when they have left the pistes.

Comments Chris Thompson, managing director…

29.09.2010Gold awards scooped at latest awards event

We are thrilled to learn that two of our products have been awarded GOLD awards by Practical PreSchool Magazine, at their 2010 Awards Ceremony.

Fairy Tales, a charming set of six little ‘girlie’ two and three-piece jigsaws, designed for children of 18 months upwards, received a gold award in the Toys and Games 0-3 years category. Of the jigsaw, the testers said, “Fairy…

13.09.2010Exciting new games and a jigsaw puzzle launched today!

Never let it be said that Orchard Toys lets the grass grow under its feet.  Hot on the heels of their Little Puzzles range launched earlier this year, we are launching another new jigsaw and two exciting games, all designed for the 3+ age group.                         …

16.06.2010"Our packing is 100% recyclable !" says Orchard Toys MD

As part of a review of waste disposal, Caroline Spelman the new Environment Secretary, plans to crackdown on landfill waste.

Criticising the toy industry, she said: “My teenage children are constantly bringing items home in thick packaging, polystyrene and cardboard, and it’s really all about making the product attractive to buy rather than packaging it safely.

"If you…

04.06.2010Orchard Toys launches a great new range of double-sided jigsaw puzzles

We have launched a great new range of colourful, double-sided little jigsaw puzzles to add to our large selection of games and jigsaw puzzles.

Initially four little double-sided jigsaws (measuring approximately 30 x 20 cms each) will be available, which are certain to give twice the fun and value !

Appealing to children from 3-6, the chunky, wavy edged 12-piece Little Diplodicus…

27.05.2010ISO 9001 Quality Audit passed with flying colours !

Since gaining our ISO 9001 Accreditation last year, we have recently undergone our first Quality Control Audit. 

Comments Simon Newbery, Managing Director, "We sailed through the audit without any non-compliances.  This demonstrates how we are continuing to improve the quality systems throughout the business."

Customers will benefit because ISO 9001 accreditation ensures…

12.04.2010Orchard Toys launches New Website

After weeks of speculation Orchard Toys, the well-known designer and manufacturer of award-winning children’s games and puzzles, has launched their new website.

Says Simon Newbery, Managing Director, “We were hoping for a seamless switchover from our old site to the new one, but it was not to be.  However, we  hope that our customers will agree that the new site has…

26.01.2010Orchard Toys launches New Products

Renowned for their award-winning, affordable games and puzzles with distinctive, colourful packaging and lots of parent and child appeal, the Norfolk based company is confidant that this January’s new crop will help to keep the company on its upward trend.

Comments Simon Newbery, Managing Director at Orchard Toys, “Last year was our best year of trading since the company was…

12.10.2009Board game designed by school children to be sold nationwide

A board game designed by school children for a Norfolk challenge, and endorsed by a Michelin starred chef, is to be sold in shops nationwide in time for Christmas.

Pupils from the Aquila before-school club, at Kinsale Junior School, Norwich, are thrilled at the news that their game, Norfolk’s Fine Food, is to be produced by Orchard Toys and will be on sale at the beginning of November…

19.05.2009Orchard Toys thrilled at achieving ISO 9001:2008 certification

Founded almost 40 years ago, Orchard Toys has built up a reputation for quality, excellence of design, manufacture and service.

It therefore goes without saying that they are thrilled that their dedication to their product quality and customer service has been recognised by the company’s receipt of ISO 9001 certification.

Comments Simon Newbery, Managing Director of Orchard…