Sure Start Speke

National Grandparents Day is observed on the first Sunday after Labor Day, and its purpose is to honor grandparents, to give grandparents an opportunity to express and show their love for their children's kids, and to help children become aware of the strength, guidance, and information that our senior population can offer.

Grandparent's Day was brought to the UK by Age Concern in 1990. The national event celebrates the important role grandparents play in society and highlights the special relationship they have with their grandchildren.

To celebrate and value the roles grandparents play in the lives of our children we held a special event to show our appreciation. The event was attended by over a hundred people who enjoyed a waitress style tea room atmosphere with music and dancing.

The children who attended enjoyed making keepsakes for their special grandparent and all grandparents received a certificate in recognition for their love.

All grandparents left for us a Pearl of wisdom which they hope to pass down to generations of children - we hope to use these later on in a book.

Here's a small sample:

• "There is no need to blow out someone's candle to make your own shine brighter"
• "Laugh and the world laughs with you, cry and you cry on your own"
• "Always try your best and achieve to your own standards, please yourself above all others and people will like you for what you emanate"
• "Treat everybody as you would like to be treated"
• "Time is the most precious gift you can give to a child"
• "Time to play, time to listen time to teach time is precious"

All pearls of wisdom will be displayed in the centre.

Did you Know?
More than one in five parents see the main role of grandparents as acting as advisors or tutors to a child. Grandparents who provide childcare do so for an average of 15.9 hours per week.