What began as a modest, six-month GapFiller project following the earthquakes has blossomed into a beloved local institution.
This week, Imagination Station, a Christchurch-based LEGO education charity, welcomed its 500,000th visitor.
Max, a 4-year-old from Beckenham, and his family are frequent visitors. They appreciate the wide range of activities available, with Max particularly enjoying building LEGO Technic cars that zoom across the floor.
His mother, Erin, shared, “We don’t have LEGO like this at home, so we love coming here to play.” This week, they were joined by Max’s grandmother, Jeannie, who travelled from Australia, and his 3-year-old sister, Biddy.
Managing Director, Traci Stanbury, presenting Max with his own Lego kit for being the 500,000th visitor to Imagination Station
To mark the occasion, Managing Director Traci Stanbury presented Max with his very own LEGO set.
Stanbury reflected on the origins of Imagination Station, which was founded in 2015 by the Christchurch LEGO User Group 4/2.
“We saw a growing need in Canterbury for Science and Technology education specialists. We started Imagination Station to educate and inspire children using LEGO. It’s a familiar and fun medium for many children; it’s fast and simple to learn and robust, which is fantastic when thousands of people are using it every week. Its simplicity transcends language, culture, and social barriers,” she said.
A partnership with Christchurch Libraries allows Imagination Station to offer large DUPLO, LEGO, and Technic play areas free to the public, seven days a week, on the first floor of Tūranga Library.
Each year, nearly 60,000 visitors explore, create, and build in this space. Beyond the library, Imagination Station also provides after-school classes, holiday programmes, school curriculum-based education, adult team-building sessions, and weekend birthday parties.
Stanbury said “We count visitor numbers to demonstrate our impact on the local community and provide accountability for our funders.”
Imagination Station operates with the support of public donations and grants from organisations including the Rata Foundation, Christchurch City Council, and PubCharity.
