Bridging the generation gap

A: Well, to be honest, in those early days, our vision didn’t go beyond finding an appropriate venue and seeing if people would turn up! We were very cautious, not wanting to start anything too ambitious.

We look back at photographs of those early sessions and realise we had hardly any equipment. Entry fees were ploughed back into the group and we were able to buy more equipment as the time went on; it was such a labour of love.

We wanted the equipment that the children played with to replicate, as near as possible, the things that we played with as children, avoiding bright coloured plastic and definitely no technology! We had real saucepans and wooden spoons in our music section, made our own playdough, used tins and packets of food from our own cupboards for pretend shop play, and we always made sure that there were craft activities that nanas and littlies could do together.

Our first few sessions were only an hour long, but one of the regular nanas said that she loved the group so much, she felt that our meetings were too short! When the others agreed, we were so touched that we instantly extended to an hour and a half.

We were determined that our groups would be as educationally valuable as possible whilst at the same time providing a warm, welcoming place for nanas to come and have a cuppa.

A: We applied for the National Lottery Awards for All funding in 2025 and tentatively did a bit of number crunching to see how viable it would be to give up work. It looked do-able, but ever the pessimists, we wouldn’t allow ourselves to believe that we would actually be awarded the money. Then one morning in January, I received a phone call from Fletch asking me if I had checked my emails. After answering that I hadn’t, she demanded: “Well check them now!” That’s when I saw the email with the words “Congratulations, we’re going to fund your idea…”

The following weeks were a blur of working our notices. For Fletch it was bittersweet leaving the school that she had worked at for more than 30 years, but however difficult our goodbyes were, we both knew that this initiative was really important.

A: It’s made such a difference. Not having to divide the week between the group and our work has enabled us to introduce more elements to the sessions we run. For example, we have turned an unused outside area into a forest school garden where the children can go with their nanas to plant bulbs, play with acorns and conkers, make mud pies and observe nature.

Our approach to the group has also become more focused since winning the funding. We both feel that it needs to be kept fresh and interesting and is of real value to the community. The fact that the National Lottery believed in us has given us a huge boost.

A: As time has gone on, the groups have evolved from being just simple stay-and-play sessions that we ran for two mornings a week, into something much richer. It’s no longer solely about providing somewhere to take the kids, we arrange social gatherings, training sessions, act as counsellors and send flowers to nanas who have been recently bereaved. One of our nanas runs a charity for cruelly treated dogs, so we held a cake sale and raised £90 for her. We were even asked to be witnesses at one of our nana’s weddings recently.

We often discuss it and both agree there has been no other job that brings such rewards and such absolute pleasure.

A: As older people we all felt in danger of becoming invisible, being known only for our role in the family. But we are so much more. In our group alone, we have an author, a lady who lost nine and a half stone and a woman whose husband was stricken with a disease which paralysed him from the neck down. Whilst looking after him she had to abandon her aspirations of becoming a social worker. We also have a couple of teachers who took early retirement to look after their grandchildren, two vicars, an A&E surgical nurse...the list goes on.

So, with a glass of prosecco and some nibbles, our Talks Amongst Ourselves evening socials encourage these wonderfully accomplished people to recount tales and anecdotes of current achievements and those from a previous life. Some are sad, some are hilarious, but all of them acknowledge that there is far more to nana than we know.

A: We plan six weeks’ worth of sessions at a time. We have a different theme every week, with toys, games, activities and music linking to the theme. We may do 'teddys bears picnic' one week, 'the farm' another week or 'under the sea' the next. Whatever we do, the grandparents get involved and play with their grandchildren, which encourages language development and interaction.

We have chairs for the grandparents that are low enough to join in with the play, but high enough off the ground to save the grunts and groans that accompany trying to get up from the floor! We also have an area with cushions and blankets where they can snuggle up with a book.

One thing that remains the same every week is the 'nanas’ natter' table. In the middle of the room is a large table with a tablecloth, a vase of flowers and coasters with “Whatever happens at nana's stays at nana's” written on them. Children can be clearly seen from the table, but the adults can have a cuppa, share moans, jokes and cheeky stories. Conversations become more toddler friendly as a continuous stream of children sit at the table with toast and drinks. As one nana gets dragged away to play, another will take her chair and new conversations will start.

A: As far as hopes for the future of Nana Made Me, our absolute passion, we have both discussed the idea of attempting to get a social franchise in order to roll out other groups. We have seen how our group impacts the grandparents in our community. Imagine that being something that more grandparents can access!