The British Toy & Hobby Association was established in 1944 to represent the interests of British toy manufacturers and to raise standards of practice in the industry. Today it has around 130 members ranging from international toy giants to small family-run businesses that together account for over 85% of the UK toy market, valued currently at £3.5bn.
The BTHA carries out its work through five committees that in turn report to the Council;
| COMMITTEE | CHAIRMAN |
| Technical (Toy Safety) | Jerry Burnie |
| PR and International Matters | Andrew Laughton |
| Sustainability | Mike Coe (co-chair) Jerry Burnie (co-chair) |
| Toy Fair | Jon Diver |
| Charity (The Toy Trust) | Foye Pascoe |
The members of all of these committees are experienced industry professionals who give up their time to support the toy industry.
The BTHA Council is the Board of Directors of the Association. It is made up of 22 toy industry executives from companies representing the breadth of the membership. The Council is led by the Chairman of the Association, who is supported by three other officers; Vice Chairman, President and Vice President. The Council with the support of the committees formulate the strategic direction for the work the Associaion does on behalf of members.
| BTHA COUNCIL | ||||
| Dominic GEDDES | Mattel UK | Richard KEEL | Keel Toys | |
| Rosemary BAYLES | Bandai UK | Andrew LAUGHTON | Zapf Creation UK | |
| Jeremy BURNIE | Independent Quality Solutions | Carl MORAN | Flair Leisure Products | |
| Graham CANNING | VTech Electronics Europe | Christine NICHOLLS | Golden Bear Products | |
| Paul CASSIDY | CASDON | Foye PASCOE | Hasbro UK | |
| Anna CHAPMAN | Disney Consumer Products | Simon PILKINGTON | John Adams | |
| Jon DIVER (Chairman) | Character Options | Philip RATCLIFFE | MV Sports & Leisure | |
| Ian EDMUNDS | Toymaster | Nat SOUTHWORTH | Hornby Hobbies | |
| Kai HAWALESCHKA | DKL Marketing | John STEWART | Worlds Apart | |
| Clive JONES | Clive Jones Leisure | Fiona WRIGHT | LEGO UK | |
| Kevin JONES (President) | Spin Master Toys UK | |||
The BTHA represents the interests of the toy industry on a national and an international level, addressing issues and commercial problems which could have a profound effect on the toy business. With Brussels now a predominant force, the BTHA takes a leading role in European discussions and decision making, ensuring that the UK’s toy industry is at the forefront of international affairs.
The BTHA considers its most important duty is to promote the highest possible standards of safety in design and manufacture of toys and in 1989 launched the Lion Mark to assist consumers in identifying safe toys.
The Association also runs the only dedicated toy trade event in the UK – The Toy Fair – which takes place annually at the end of January at Olympia, London. The show exists to give members, and non-members, an opportunity to showcase their products to the wider industry including retailers, buyers, suppliers and the media.