The greatest gran!
My wonderful nan has 163 grandchildren!
Asmys my n nan Jessie looked at the computer spreadsheet, she burst out laughing.
‘That’s a lot of names!’ she chuckled.
‘Well, you’ve got a lot of grandchildren,’ I laughed.
Nan has 12 children – who brought her 44 grandchildren, 99 great-grandchildren and 20 great-great-grandchildren – and her brood is ever-expanding.
I’d just made the spreadsheet so she could keep track of us.
All 163 of us!
Growing up, my mum Barbara would often take me and my three siblings to see Nan.
‘You’re getting big!’ she’d say, giving us each a biscuit.
She and my grandad Arthur doted on us.
Every year, Grandad would organise a big family day out to a park.
We’d play games and compete in races. It was so much fun.
But, when Grandad passed away after a stroke in 1994, sadly, those days came to an end.
We still made an effort to visit Nan, though.
My two kids Ellie, 7, and George, 10, loved her to bits. And she was delighted whenever another grandchild was born.
Of course, she couldn’t afford to buy us all presents. So she’d buy each new addition a little outfit, or crochet a blanket.
Then, in June this year, there was a big birthday to celebrate. Nan’s 90th! ‘I don’t want a fuss,’ she said. But we wanted to do something special for our lovely nan.
My uncle runs a pub in Dagenham, east London.
‘Let’s throw a party to mark the milestone,’ he suggested.
So me, my cousins, aunts and uncles got to work planning it.
Someone sorted out the food, someone else booked a DJ.
Everyone rallied round to help.
I made sure every grandchild, great-grandchild, and great-great grandchild got their own invite.
Happily, the whole family’s connected on Facebook, so it’s easy to stay in touch.
We told Nan we were taking her to a wedding. And, on the day, she got dressed up in a pretty, new, pink dress. ‘You look lovely!’ I told her. The pub was packed with all Nan’s nearest and dearest. But it took her a while to realise the party was for her!
It was only when an Elvis tribute act started singing that she clocked.
‘Thank you so much!’ she beamed, chuffed to bits.
As always, she made a huge fuss of her 163 grandchildren.
She bounced her great-great granddaughter Rosie-ann, 8 months, on her knee. And she cooed over 3-month-old Rae.
‘I love that my family keeps on growing,’ she told everyone. As a surprise, we’d hired a selfie mirror so everyone could take photos with Nan.
She was in her element!
Then we all sang
Happy Birthday.
And, with all our voices combined, we raised the roof!
Nan had a smashing time, and it was lovely getting everyone together for her special day.
Having such a big family really is wonderful. There are so many of us, it’s hard to keep up with everyone. But we have one thing in common…
We all reckon we have the greatest nan in Britain!
It took Nan a while to realise the party was for her!
Read about the parents who already have 16 kids, but are aiming for 20: see lifedeathprizes. com/mum-of-16-wants-more