Give 'grannie nannies' recognition this weekend

It’s Grandparents Day on 4 October 2009 and Saga magazine are calling for the ‘Granny Nannies’ to get a little bit more recognition.

According to Saga’s research, 61 per cent of grandparents regularly look after their grandchildren, with 44 per cent spending more than 16 hours every month with them.

Despite only 8 per cent of grandparents being given any sort of payment, a staggering 15 per cent are looking after grandchildren for more than 40 hours every month.

Editor-at-large of Saga magazine, Emma Soames said: “Grandparents Day is a wonderful opportunity for us to recognise the value of the older generation and to say thank you.  Children clearly benefit from their grandparents leading longer and more active lives than ever before.  According to a study we commissioned, the silver-haired grandma or grandpa always sitting in their favourite armchair is a misnomer – the average age of a grandparent is just 49 years old and many are continuing to balance their working lives with supporting their families and looking after their grandchildren.  

“Without this support, many parents wouldn’t be able to consider working themselves, which would have a high impact on the economy. From next year parents, foster carers and carers of disabled adults will become eligible for a national insurance credit, but the role of grandparents has been entirely overlooked. We clearly owe today’s grandparents a huge debt, however, with public spending cuts looming, it may be a while longer until these unpaid carers are awarded the financial support they deserve.”