The grandmother

Sandra, 55, is Hermine’s youngest daughter. a mother of three and grandmother of four, she is divorced and works as a receptionist.

My mum is inspirational – very calm, very approachable, very affectionate. Growing up, she never told us what to do. she’d advise, give ideas, then let us make choices. Everyone wanted my mum to be their mum. to this day, it’s still the same!

she’s talked to us about her life

– how she met Dad on the boat on the way to England and this romance happened. they started with nothing, rented a room, then eventually a house. she used to work so hard – she had a job as a home help for the council – but when we came home to our dinner, she was always around. We didn’t know things were difficult – all we knew was that we were loved and looked after.

When I had children, she was a very special gran too. My kids practically grew up at Mum’s. she’s the head of our family and brings everyone together. We go there on Fridays and it’ll be, “Grandma, what’s in the fridge?”

For me, being a gran myself is so different to being a mum. It’s like getting a second chance. you’ve learned from your mistakes and now you can do it better. I’m very full-on. If I haven’t seen them for a week or two, I’ll be on to my kids, saying, “Where are my grandchildren?”