BURY Council's libraries service is among the first in the country to launch a new toy library.

Recent research into the benefits of play have revealed its positive effects on children's educational development.

It found that children who are given educational toys, work with their parents on the alphabet and are taught nursery rhymes or pay visits to libraries, and do better than their counterparts by the time they are three years old and when they start school. Bury Council's Early Years spokesman, Councillor John Costello, said: "Our Toy Library Service will be centrally located at Unsworth Library, with satellite collections at all other branches.

"This will allow parents and childcare providers throughout the area to have access to and borrow a large selection of quality educational toys aimed at children up to five years old"