Win our fantastic prize bundle worth almost £1,000!

I never met my maternal grandfather, as he died before I was born, but my.gran, was a wonderful lady, eorked as a cleaner in Woolworths Manchester for years. My parents ,younger brother and myself lived in my gran's house ,which was a huge Victorian house, with 3floors,an.attic and rooms ,below stairs along with a celler,as did my aunty Maria (mums sister) My gran had 9 grankids, and five children, which would have been six, only Miriam was a cot death. She loved us all, and, on her way home from work, (Manchester Woolworths) she would buy some pick 'n'mix sweets and a comic on a Thursday, which she would give to me. She taught me to knit, and gave me so much love, she was my world, until I was 13, when she passed away, I miss her even now, in my 50s, she will live on, in memory, in my heart and with my memories.

I have many memories of Mum's parents because we lived with them for 3 years during the war. Dad's parents just around the corner.
My main memories of both are to do with family get-togethers and music. With Aunts, Uncles and many cousins. We had sing-songs around the piano, sometimes leading to dancing - very lively.
Extended families - so many benefits from the sharing and help.
I'm still in touch with those of my cousins who are still around.

I remember my Paternal grandparents in the mid-50s. They lived on a farm with no electricity or running water! When we went for tea on a Sunday light was provided by paraffin lamps hung from the low ceiling and we usually had tinned fruit accompanied by bread and butter! I HATED having to eat fruit with bread and butter! But the homemade cakes after were nice.
They had an old fashioned "night-soil" toilet compete with a bucket under a hole in a long wooden seat - complete with newspaper squares on a string for toilet paper! I hated going to the loo after dark as it was halfway down the garden and very creepy!

I was bought up by my grandparents, and they did a wonderful
job of it. they both worked all day, so my sister and I were very self reliant. got off to school and back and even started dinner by the time my nan got home at 5pm. we always had neighbors to go to if needed, but we got along fine.
not sure it would be aloud today.

I remember from a young age being allowed to stay with Nan and Granddad usually Saturday night which was a great treat as my granddad was a farmer and he had a big car and their garden seemed huge with lots of roses, later memories when in my early teens we used to cycle over and quite often stay several nights in the school holidays, I was allowed to cook from the Dairy Cookbook and make the cakes for the week, to this day I still use that book and always remember making coconut buns and forgetting to add the sugar, sadly lost my Nan to a stroke when I was 14, some wonderful memories though.

my grandparents were the best used to spend a lot of my time with them the good old days as I say , hardworking and they could do anything

My earliest memory of my grandparents, was when they came to see myself & 3 brothers all in an isolation ward in hospital with chicken pox, as our mother had pneumonia & unable to look after us. I was in a cot, as were my younger twin brothers. My elder brother was obviously better & my grandparents took him home. I was upset & before they left, they gave me a chocolate egg, which I proceeded to eat immediately (I've always loved chocolate). The nurses were furious when they saw the mess I'd made with chocolate everywhere & took the remains of the egg away, which upset me again.
Life soon returned to normal, with grandparents coming every Thursday & Sunday for tea, always with homemade scones & cakes, my favourite being the flapjacks dipped in chocolate.

My Grandad was wounded twice in The Great War. Shot in the head both times and mustard gassed. He rarely talked of it but he did tell me some things. He was starved in the trenches when there were no rations to be had. When he was gassed, he was blind for a while. But most chillingly, he had to fight hand to hand with a German soldier using his bayonet. He was only a teenager but suffered so much as did his fellow soldiers. His health was ruined by his experiences and with hindsight I believe he suffered from PTSD. We owe so much to these young people. I still get tearful thinking of him.

My Grandma had a seemingly endless supply if Kitkats and gossip!

I spent hours/days watching my maternal grandad building my first dolls house. I'll always remember it. He had great patience.

The only grandparent I knew, was my maternal Grandmother. We lived just a street away from her and we went to her house with my mum a couple of days a week. We either sat in the kitchen or the dining room being seen and not heard whilst they talked. The front room was never used apart from special occasions, i.e. Christmas etc.,
The best memories however, is weekends spent at the caravan she owned at a park in West Sussex. To me and my siblings it was something really special and we never tired of going there.

my maternal grandmother was a strong woman, she and her sister both lost there husbands at a very early age in WW1, they combined household and brought up my mother and four other children together. She worked as a florist at St Johns Market in Liverpool and I can always remember running in to see her with the wonderful scent of flowers. when she eventually had to move in with us, my mother had five children by then, she spent hours teaching me to knit in front of the coal fire,,

My grandma once had 8 of her grandchildren to stay. She put the four boys in one bed and four girls in the other. Ours was a huge feather thing and really soft. Poor grandma must have slept on the sofa downstairs. We girls could hear the boys laughing all night and I expect we were pretty noisy too. To her credit, grandma didn't tell us off, she saw us all so rarely she just let us enjoy the moment. In the morning we were woken by her huge tortoiseshell cat who prodded and clawed us all until we had to get up. Grandma allowed me to turn the handle on her Singer sewing machine. Of the 8 youngsters I was the only one who was interested; I was fascinated. As I grew up she showed me how to make my own clothes and save money. My mum was delighted, she hated sewing. Grandma taught me to knit too. I will be forever grateful to her for sharing her skill. I'm hoping my 1 year old granddaughter will carry on the tradition.

My two sets of grandparents were chalk and cheese .
My mums parents were loving caring and playful,always available for a cuddle and a story and I stayed over so regularly I had toys and clothes at their home.
My paternal grandparents were of the 'seen and not heard' school, everything got reported back to mum, meals eaten in silence and they were so severe I was tongue tied when I had to visit , so much so that my granddad only ever called me vinegar .
I hope my grandchildren regard me as the loving gran , it would break my heart otherwise .

My nanna loved me which is just as well because my parents didn't. I've since read that being criticised continually is a screwed up way of wanting the best for your child together with an inability to know how to provide encouragement and support. My parents are intelligent professionals. I'll leave that thought with you.

My Nannie loved the Sound of Music and everytime it came on the cinema (3 times that I remember) she persuaded my mum to let me have the day off school so I could go and watch it with her. My Granddad was still working part time when he was in his late 60s and would occasionally take me with him for an hour on a Saturday morning. He wasn't allowed to take me again after he had to bring me home soaking wet in winter after the 'guard dog' on the premises knocked me into a horse trough full of water.

Our holiday was always going to Bristol to visit my grandparents & loved it! My Mum & I made up a song about visiting them, which we would always sing (very loudly) throughout the journey, much to the annoyance of my brother!
Their house was warm & cosy, full of the old hardback Enid Blyton books which I would devour eagerly while my Mum chatted to my Granny.
My Gramps was lovely, a warm & funny man who didn't wast words. I remember clambering on him while he was sat on his armchair, asking him to read to me. He used to call me (& my Mum too when she was younger) 'My Queen'. It's not a term of endearment I've heard since, so it's always a really special one
My Granny made bacon & eggs for breakfast every morning - what a treat! My Gramps (who was italian) would whip up homemade pasta for dinner - I'd never eaten so well!

My grandma took in boarders from the grand theatre Derby there was a Mr Woodley who came every Christmas for the pantomime ,the first coloured man I saw his act involved a python lots of other acts .one couple ties sheets and went out by bedroom window to avoid paying for digs. Grain nailed the wooden window s down after cos never to happen again but can't write about all.small lady metal rimmed glasses and hair curled at sides with scissor like curlers we went twice a week after school had jelly and custard for tea tubes were fine as she had baked and we had rock cakes they were stale by Thursday. but we still ate them. My brother wouldn't eat her bread and butter puddings it was solid tin loaf shape and blooming each landed in stomach like lump of lead .Kept chickens had mice running round in her cupboards but she was our super grain and we loved her two bits lived to age 86 God bless passed away in 1966

I can remember sitting on my granddads knee doing wordsearches together whilst he sucked fishermans friends. Great times

I remember every Christmas at school we would make gifts and for several years I made a 'spill holder' for my Grandad who smoked a pipe. It was just a covered loo roll centre with a bottom in it and then we bought a packet of coloured wooden spill tapers (wonder if they still sell them?) and I was always really chuffed to see my present sitting on the hearth and he used it daily to light his pipe!

My grandpa was so loving and kind, we used to see him every Christmas but also other times of the year and my twin sister and I used to look forward to him coming so much! for us, christmas was Grandpa as he would always make it so special. He used to put pound coins in our Christmas cards and take us out to afternoon tea in town on the few days before Christmas. He would tell us stories, play games with us and he was so loving, hes not here anymore and Christmas is never the same without him. When he used to go home after Christmas he would always carry his case to the bus stop but he would stop every ten metres, put down his case and wave, blowing kisses to us! So many lovely memories of my Grandpa, this was lovely thinking about it!

I was taken to visit both sets of grandparents every Sunday morning where I was given a 6d piece by both households and in my little mind this was my right! My paternal grandfather was in hospital for many months before he finally died and I used to visit most nights with my parents, apparently this made his passing much happier as he looked forward to seeing me. Unfortunately as my parents were elderly my grandparents all died when I wa very small. I am looking forward to being around for a lot longer for my grandaughter.

I never knew my grandads but my nans were like chalk and cheese one was quiet and loving and always good for a cuddle. The other was brought up in the school of hard knocks and never offered a cuddle but loved it when we gave her one anyway....... both very special ladies in their own way!

my nana lived with us when I was a child and looked after me after school when mum was at work. I have great memories of baking and learning to cook with her. We had happy times in the kitchen and my love of cooking has stayed with me all my life - I've now passed on my recipes and love of food to my children and grandchildren.

My father's mother sadly died many years before I was born, so I never met her. I visited my grandfather with my parents, but that was the only involvement I had with him.

My maternal grandparents I saw often, although sadly they both died before I was 10 years old. When we went out for a Sunday stroll my grandfather always wore a suit, his shirt collar was very stiff and he wore a bowler hat and carried a walking stick. I recall that my grandmother (a mother of 5) from her 60s onward had all her household chores done for her She had a lady come in to do her cleaning plus one daughter did her clothes washing at the weekend and my mother and I would visit on Mondays and my mother would do my Grandmothers' ironing each week. Sheets etc were sent to the laundry and delivery men called door to door with various commodities! They were loving, caring Grandparents.