Tag: grandparents

Two million prevented from seeing their grandchildren, survey reveals

Lawyer Vanessa Lloyd Platt said ‘the system is failing grandparents up and down the country’

MORE than two million people are being prevented from seeing their grandchildren, a new survey reveals.

It found a million have been completely locked out of their lives and 250,000 nans and grandads have never been allowed to see their children’s offspring.

And at least 150,000 have been warned by police to stop attempting to contact their grandkids.

Family lawyer Vanessa Lloyd Platt, whose firm Lloyd Platt & Co commissioned the survey by Savanta which spoke to 1,000 grandparents, said: “The survey bore out our concerns about the rights of grandchildren to have grandparents in their life.

“The system is failing grandparents up and down the country. It is a scandal.”

The survey also revealed the youngest grandparent in the UK is 32-years-old.

Savanta also found it is either the grandparents’ son’s wife or partner stopping access, with 40% responding with that reason.

And a personal disagreement was the main cause, 32%, behind being locked out.

Campaigners are now demanding a law change and say it could have avoided such tragic deaths as Arthur Labingo-Hughes and Star Hobson who were killed by their parents.

They want an amendment to the Children’s Act 1989 to enshrine in law the child’s right to have a relationship with their grandparents.

One of them, Jasvinder Sanghera, told GB News: “Grandparents are significant in the lives of children, including those at risk. It is clear grandparents raised alarm bells in both cases and I have to ask the question: would it have made a difference if grandparents were given significant status in The Children Act?

“Arthur and Star were let down by the system. And these survey results prove our worst fears.

“Desperate grandparents up and down the country and being refused access to their grandchildren.

“I have an 86-year-old law-abiding grandmother come to me who has been reported to the police for sending presents to their grandchildren. She was interviewed in a police station and told to accept a caution for her behaviour.

“People are getting police knocking at their door after being reported for harassment just for sending a birthday card.

“It is ruining lives and something needs to be done to help these good people.”

Arthur died aged six during the pandemic in 2020 at the hands of his evil father and his girlfriend.

His grandparents had reported fears of abuse to social services but were told by authorities there was no safeguarding issues.

Star was killed aged one by her mother’s girlfriend in the same year.

Suspected abuse was repeatedly reported to social services by her grandparents but cases were closed.

Campaigners calling for the law change say if adults are given “significant people” rights then they have more power to act as a guardian for their grandchildren.

They also blasted the Ministry of Justice over lack of action after then Minister Lucy Frazer QC said in 2018 she would consider a change in the law to establish a “presumption” that grandparents can see their grandchildren after parents split up.

“Grans Eat Free” this October holiday at Mclarens on the Corner

This October Half-Term Break, McLarens on the Corner in Morningside is introducing a limited offer to celebrate grandparents with a “Grans Eat Free” deal throughout the October holidays.

The family-friendly restaurant that believes in serving up sumptuous food, delicious cocktails, and a whole lot of love has created the offer as a thank you to the grandparents that will be home with the kids while they’re off from school.

Grandparents are beloved for spoiling their grandchildren with love, affection, and all the treats mum usually doesn’t allow. It’s time that they get spoiled in return! Signature Group has decided to turn the tables, and instead of having kids eat free this half-term holiday, we’re giving the free meal to Gran.

The deal was created to acknowledge the unsung heroes at the heads of our families that rarely get a day devoted to treating them with the same care that they exhibit each day.

Including anything from a bacon cheeseburger for lunch to blackened salmon for dinner, grandparents can choose the entrée that suits their appetite for no charge for two weeks in October. Now, the kids can start pooling together their pocket money and get ready to pick up the bill for their meal, because this meal is on them.

The limited offer will be available on weekdays between 10th and 21st October. One grandparent can receive a free main course per visit when they dine with their grandkids. Kids must also order a main dish from the children’s menu or main a la carte menu. Free main excludes steak. 

megabus to double it’s service over the Christmas season

  • As Christmas makes a comeback after last year’s disappointment, megabus is set to double its service in an effort to ensure families can still connect over the festive period
  • The coach provider will be operating over 9,000 miles on Christmas day alone – double the mileage of last year. Over 48,000 miles will be covered on Christmas Day and Boxing Day combined
  • The increase comes after another tumultuous year of restrictions meaning families have missed out on quality time together, with older generations affected the most
  • Three quarters (73%) of grandparents say not seeing their grandchildren has been the worst thing about the pandemic – having missed out on 49 hugs, 47 kisses, 40 conversations and 25 family meals with their grandkids since it began

With the UK still planning to enjoy the festive celebrations this year, megabus is set to double its service in an effort to ensure that families aren’t separated for a second Christmas running.

The coach provider is due to operate over 9,000 miles on Christmas Day alone – more than double last years’ service – connecting loved ones from locations including London, Bristol, Manchester, Cardiff, Reading, Leeds, Birmingham Nottingham and many more

Across the festive period (17 Dec – 3 Jan) over half a million miles will be travelled – averaging almost 40,000 per day. 48,000 will take place on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

With over 2,700 trips being operated by megabus this festive period, the company is clearly ensuring it is there to help families to spend Christmas together. 

The increase comes after another tumultuous year of restrictions meaning many families have missed out on quality time together, with older generations affected the most.

Three quarters (73%) of grandparents say not seeing their grandchildren has been the worst thing about the pandemic – having missed out on 49 hugs, 47 kisses, 40 conversations and 25 family meals with their grandkids in the last 12 months.

Seven in 10 (74%) parents claim to be making a concerted effort to reunite children with grandparents, with 80% saying that their kids missing grandparents has been one of the hardest things to deal with over the past year.

In a normal year, grandparents will spend an average of 90 hours travelling to see their grandkids, spending £240 each to enjoy precious quality time together.

The top moments grandparents have missed due to the pandemic:

  1. 49 hugs
  2. 47 kisses
  3. 40 conversations
  4. 27 playtimes with toys
  5. 25 meals together
  6. 24 walks
  7. 19 bedtimes
  8. 19 daytrips
  9. 18 school runs
  10. 18 hand drawn pictures

Mark Venables, Managing Director from megabus, said: “After so many families were forced to spend last Christmas apart, and we’ve all dealt with more restrictions this year, we’re determined to help bring as many people together as possible this festive season.

“Complying with all current government guidelines, we have over 13,000 seats available for Christmas Day and Boxing Day alone – so we’re really excited to help Brits get around and travel with confidence to see their loved ones this Christmas.

“Seats are already selling fast, so I’d really like to thank all of our fantastic people who are working over the festive period and especially those who have volunteered to work on Christmas day to provide these services to our customers.”

megabus will serve a number of key destinations across the country, including Edinburgh, Manchester, Leeds, Bristol, Cardiff, Nottingham, and Bournemouth and many others.

Crucially, megabus will be operating up to every 30 minutes between Heathrow Airport and London Victoria on Christmas day and Boxing Day when there are no other public transport options available.

megabus will be running services across many key destinations over the festive period, including:

Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester, Newcastle, Leeds, Sheffield, Leicester, Nottingham, Derby, Norwich, Bristol, Cardiff, Swansea, Birmingham, Bournemouth, Southampton, Plymouth, Newquay, Heathrow Airport, Manchester Airport, London.

A Nostalgic Nation?

Brits’ favourite ways to spend time with their Grandparents

  • –    Nostalgic conversations are the nation’s favourite way to spend time with their grandparents 
  • –    Research reveals top 10 activities include baking, gardening, and playing board games  
  • –    Psychotherapist, Andre Radmall, explains why it’s so important for grandchildren to spend time with their grandparents.

Reminiscing about the past (32%) is the nation’s favourite activity to do with their grandparents, new research has revealed. 

The study was conducted by Gala Bingo, the nation’s favourite bingo site, to launch its new Paddle Pals TV advert, which celebrates the bond we have with our grandparents. 

Playing card games (31%), looking through old photographs (30%) and baking (30%) were some of the other ways in which we cherish time with Grandma and Grandad.  

Men and women tend to have different favourites, however, as while talking about history is the favourite grandparent pastime for men, baking takes the top spot for women. Almost two in five (38%) women say baking is their favourite thing to do with their grandparents, compared to just 21% of men. Yet men and women equally enjoy spending time planting and pruning in the garden (26%) with their elders. 

Interestingly, age plays a part in which activities are most enjoyed. Cooking alongside their grandparents is a popular activity for both the 25-34 (41%) and the 35-44 (33%) age groups. For the younger generation (18-24), taking the dog for a walk with their grandparents topped the list at 31%. 

Overall, the nation’s top 10 favourite activities to do with their grandparents are:  

  1. Talking about the past – 32% 
  2. Playing cards – 31% 
  3. Going through old photos – 30% 
  4. Baking – 30% 
  5. Cooking – 28%  
  6. Playing board games – 28% 
  7. Gardening – 26% 
  8. Walking – 23% 
  9. Going to the park – 23% 
  10. Doing puzzles, crosswords, word games –20% 

Dog walking (15%), taking a trip to the beach (15%) and puzzling over jigsaws (19%) were among the other wholesome activities that were mentioned but didn’t quite make the top 10. 

Sporty activities such as swimming (4%) and bowling (3%) were some of the least popular endeavours. 

There is also variation across the UK. Playing board games with the grandparents is the preferred activity for people in Bristol and Edinburgh (both 37%) whereas taking a stroll around a park is the favourite thing to do for those in Liverpool (31%) and Sheffield (33%).  

Psychotherapist and author Andre Radmall said: “The relationship between grandparents and their grandchildren is immensely important. Spending time with each other provides innumerable benefits for both. 

“Grandchildren can learn from the experience of grandparents, passing on their wisdom through to adulthood which can be a rewarding and meaningful experience for grandchildren.”  

Karina Adrian, head of brand marketing at Gala Bingo, said: “It’s really great to see the nations appreciation and love we share for our grandparents.

“There are so many shared experiences between a grandparent and their grandchild, with this research reflecting just how much of a positive impact the bonds with our grandparents can have on us as adults. 

“We hope this research has inspired people to spend some quality time with their grandparents this week and reminisce on good times spent with them.” 

Parents under pressure as virus limits childcare options

  • More than one in four parents feel unable to ask for childcare help from loved ones as a result of pandemic
  • 15% of parents require additional childcare help from friends and family this year as they continue to juggle parenting and work responsibilities
  • Grandparents now providing £3,770 worth of childcare a year

While more than two-fifths (44%) of parents rely on grandparents for childcare support, more than a quarter (27%) feel they can no longer be as dependent on family and friends, due to ongoing health and safety concerns around the pandemic.

New How Scotland Lives research from Bank of Scotland revealed that whilst some parents are considering keeping their children away from their grandparents through the summer months in order to keep them safe from the virus, grandparents themselves seem less concerned, with just one in 10 (10%) expecting to do less childcare, and almost half (46%) expecting their usual school holiday childcare duties to stay the same.

In fact, 12% of grandparents who do not usually take on childcare, have offered to do so in order to support their own children.

Staying indoors

Despite ongoing concerns, the circumstances of 15% of parents mean they are having to be more reliant than they would usually be on friends and family this summer, as they continue to balance work and home life commitments.

Parents who are allowing grandparents to take on childcare responsibilities this summer have shown real concern around how time together should be spent, which has led to the ruling out of several of the typical summer activities, in light of ongoing social distancing restrictions.

There has been a significant reduction in the number of parents allowing trips to the cinema (-26%), holidays (-21%), theme parks (-7%), and swimming (-4%) due to the Covid-19 outbreak. Instead, they are more encouraging of activities that keep everyone in open spaces, such as picnics (+6%).

Tara Foley, Managing Director, Bank of Scotland, said: “For many parents, the challenge of conflicting work and childcare commitments continues this summer, with some facing difficult decisions around who is best to take care of their children.

“Whilst some parents remain worried about relying on loved ones for support during the ongoing pandemic, not all families can rely on holiday clubs and professional childcare. These will likely be a stretch too far for some budgets where paying for additional childcare wasn’t part of the plan.”

Regional variations

There are significant regional differences when it comes to the number of parents who rely on their own parents for childcare support (see table 1).

More than half (52%) of mums and dads in the West of Scotland receive regular help with childcare, which is more than in any other region, and 8% more than the Scottish average. Likewise, parents in Mid-Scotland, which includes Stirlingshire, Fife, Perth and Kinross, (48%), and Central Scotland (45%), are also more reliant on their parents for help with the kids.  At the other end of the spectrum is the Highlands and Islands, where just over a third (35%) of parents, receive support from grandparents.  

On average, grandparents report spending nine hours a week caring for their grandchildren, up from eight hours in 2019. Given the UK average pay for professional childcare is just over £8 per hour, this means grandparents are providing the equivalent of over £3,770 worth of childcare throughout the year, or at least £432 for the six weeks of the summer holidays.