Grandparents to the rescue over school summer holidays

More than half of the UK's grandparents are planning to look after their grandchildren over the next few weeks, according to a recent survey.

A poll of more than 8,000 over-50s shows that one in eight grandparents will look after grandchildren once a week over the school summer holidays, with a further one in eight will be on childminding duties twice per week.

However, one in 20 grandparents say they will be hosting their grandchildren three days a week while school is out for the summer, according to the research by Saga Car Insurance.

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And it’s not just their time that will be donated - one in five say they will spend well over £200 keeping the children occupied. Days out to the beach (77 per cent) and on shopping trips (35 per cent) are the most popular distractions, although some grandparents are even taking their grandchildren on a holiday either in the UK (14 per cent) or abroad (5 per cent).

Grandparents in the North East are the most likely to babysit grandchildren over the school summer holidays, while those in the East Midlands are least likely to.

The Scots are most likely to spend big on their grandkids, with one in four expecting to spend more than £200 during the school holiday period.

Sue Green, Head of Saga Car Insurance, said: “It looks as though children are in for an action-packed summer which is full of adventure if nan and granddad are in charge over the next couple of weeks. Grandparents really are generous giving up their time and money to help with childcare over the summer holidays and I’m sure they are really looking forward to spending some quality time with their grandchildren.”