GRANDPARENTS across Worcestershire have been coming to the rescue during the school summer holidays by helping out busy parents and looking after youngsters.

A new study by British company Saga, which focuses its insurance, holidays and financial services on the over 50s, shows that one in eight grandparents in the UK will look after their grandchildren once a week over the school summer holidays, and a further one in eight will be on child minding duties twice a week. However, one in 20 grandparents say they will be hosting their grandchildren three days a week while school is out for the summer.

Those looking after their grandchildren are expecting to spend a pretty penny keeping them entertained as one in five say they will spend well over £200 keeping the children occupied, according to the Saga research involving 8,000 people aged over 50.

In fact, children are in for a treat if Gran and Grandad are looking after them as grandparents are planning to take them on days out to museums, the beach (77 per cent) and on shopping trips (35 per cent). Some grandparents are even taking their grandchildren on a holiday either in the UK (14 per cent) or abroad (5 per cent).

Sue Green, from Saga, 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.”

Children are often armed with lots of expensive gadgets, such as tablets and mobile phones. While most children will keep these devices with them at all times, especially if they are looking for Pokemon, Saga says if children are leaving gadgets in the car it is important that grandparents remind them to keep them out of sight.

Grandparents looking for ideas on entertaining grandchildren over the summer can visit Saga’s website for inspiration: http://www.saga.co.uk/magazine/relationships/family/grandparenting

Ideas include the best short walks for children in the UK from Devon to the Isle of Skye; the best educational days out from fossil hunting in Dorset to a dinosaur walk in Crystal Palace Park, London; best UK beaches for children from Tenby in Pembrokeshire to Mablethorpe, Lincolnshire, for a traditional seaside resort; the best literary walks for children from Whitby, north Yorkshire, for a Dracula walk and North Wessex Downs, Hampshire, for a Watership Down walk; best gardens to visit with children from Hever Castle Gardens, Kent, for a maze or three to Exbury Gardens in the New Forest for a steam train ride.