Latest news with #Gruffalo
Daily Mail
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Father left shocked after spotting a sleeping child alone in its pram at Chessington World of Adventures while its parents 'go on a ride'
A concerned father has revealed his shock after he saw a toddler left alone in its pram at a British theme park. Rob Cradds, who goes by @coachrobcradds on TikTok, was enjoying a family day out at Chessington World of Adventures in Surrey when he spotted a child left in a pram while his parents were thought to have queued for a ride. He shared his shock online, sparking backlash as many blasted the parents of the toddler as 'selfish' and 'irresponsible'. However, not everyone thought the unknown mother and father deserved such criticism. Rob was approaching the queue for the child-friendly Gruffalo ride at the busy adventure park when he spied the unattended child. They appeared to be sleeping in their pram among a cluster of empty strollers left by parents who were enjoying the children's ride. Rob also showed a crowd waiting for the slow-moving attraction that takes passengers down a 'lazy river' and past a collection of characters and scenes. There is no age limit for the ride, but an adult must accompany children under 1.4 metres tall. Thousands were up in arms over the parents' 'neglectful' act and encouraged the father to report them to park security. 'I just cannot. In no way is this ever okay,' one woman said. 'Even if it was thirty years ago, you wouldn't leave your young child alone to go ride. If the kid wakes up, he doesn't know where anyone is. It's wildly irresponsible parenting,' a second agreed. 'I would have to stand there to make sure he was okay until they came back,' another wrote. 'The fear that little boy would experience if he woke up to nobody he recognises being there, never mind what else could go wrong. Hope the parents were told straight!' someone added. The gentle nature of the ride added to many parents' confusion, with some claiming they had previously brought young babies on it with them. 'It's never acceptable, but especially on The Gruffalo ride! It's not like a quick whizz round a rollercoaster, or you can see them from the queue. How awful,' one mother said. 'Plus, it's got no restrictions, I took my three-month-old on before! Literally no excuse!' someone replied. 'I'm pretty sure you can take a few-months-old baby on the Gruffalo (ride) if you carry them, why is a near-toddler being left outside?' another asked. However, there were many people who didn't see the big deal in leaving the young child sleeping in his pram. 'We used to get left in our prams when our parents went in the shops, sometimes they'd forget us when they got home,' one user laughed. 'Mate, in Scandinavia, parents leave their kids outside cafes and restaurants all the time. It's absolutely fine,' another pointed out. 'This never was too much of an issue in the UK. Kids would get left at holiday parks to run about whilst parents had a drink. Loads of us have been left in the car whilst the adults went in to a shop etc,' a third answered. 'You'd like to think in a theme park full of families the kid would be safe,' someone chimed in. It comes after a rollercoaster enthusiast revealed that he packed up his life and moved 170 miles away in order to live next to Alton Towers. Sam, who is known as @coastertog online and has a partner and young daughter, said he visits the theme park in Staffordshire 'basically every day'. He now only lives a 15-minute drive away from the attraction after making the move from Essex, but admits there's 'not much else to do' nearby - though they do have a Home Bargains. Many shared their outrage and dubbed the parents 'irresponsible' - but not everyone thought the act was so terrible with some jumping to their defence Speaking on his TikTok account, where he has more than 176,000 followers, the thrill seeker confessed: 'I moved 170 miles from Essex just to live nearby to this park. I know it sounds a bit mental but this place makes me happy.' Though tickets to the resort can cost up to £68 for an adult day ticket, Sam insists that it's 'actually pretty cheap' to visit every day, explaining that he has the 'platinum Merlin pass'. This allows him access the park 'whenever I want' and means that, if he visits the park every day, it works out at less than £1 and includes free parking (usually £12). However, he says he's ridden the rides 'so much' that he no longer finds them scary as 'I know exactly what to expect'. When asked if he ever gets 'bored' going on the same rides over and over again, he admitted: 'Truthfully, some of the rides aren't as exciting to me as they used to be.' These days, he generally visits the park as it's become a 'local hangout' for his friends. 'A lot of the time I don't even bother riding anything!' he explained. In addition to making money from sharing rollercoaster videos on TikTok, Sam also has a 'normal job' as a photographer and videographer. This means he is his own boss, and can pop down to the Towers whenever he desires. People were left divided in the comments as, while some said it was their 'dream' to live so close, others didn't get the appeal. When one person commented: 'This is proper sad', Sam replied: 'Can you please tell me how it's any different from you going and watching your team lose from row z mate.'
Scottish Sun
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Husband of iconic children's book author leaves huge £1.3million fortune to family after his death
A will he prepared in 2020 instructed that his fortune should be handed to his family LEGEND'S LEGACY Husband of iconic children's book author leaves huge £1.3million fortune to family after his death Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE BELOVED husband of Gruffalo author Julia Donaldson left a £1.3m fortune to his family, it has emerged. Dr Malcolm Donaldson was a paediatric consultant and senior lecturer in child health at the University of Glasgow until his retirement. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 3 The husband of author Julia Donaldson left a £1.3million fortune to his family Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd 3 Julia's bestselling children's books include The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo's Child Credit: Getty The university later appointed him honorary senior research fellow at its School of Medicine, Dentistry & Nursing. He was married to Julia, whose children's books The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo's Child have been global best-sellers, for 52 years. He passed away aged 75 in September last year, and probate documents revealed he left an estate valued at £1,322,528. A will he prepared in 2020 instructed his fortune should be handed to his family. Julia is the author of over 184 published works and a former Children's Laureate. The Gruffalo was first published in 1999 and has sold more than 13.5m copies. The couple lived in the Glasgow suburb of Bearsden from 1987 until moving to Surrey in 2014. As a highly respected academic, Dr Donaldson wrote or contributed to more than 180 publications, papers and books. But he was also an accomplished actor, singer and guitarist who accompanied his wife to perform her songs and stories at festivals, schools, libraries and bookshops around the world. His younger patients also gave him the affectionate nickname Dr Gruffalo. Brits urged to 'look in loft' as 5 popular 90s toys could make you serious money Tributes were paid to Donaldson after his death. Axel Scheffler, who illustrated the Gruffalo books, said: 'I have known Malcolm for 30 years and always admired his enthusiasm for our books, Julia's work and children's books in general. "All this, besides being a paediatric consultant and giving lectures all over the world. "His true passion was performing with Julia on stage, playing the guitar and acting – especially his legendary suave role of the Fox in The Gruffalo. "He will be deeply missed.' The British Society for Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes (BSPED) said: "His contributions will continue to resonate in the field of paediatric endocrinology and child health in the UK, Europe and beyond for many years to come. "His warmth, wisdom and gentle spirit will be deeply missed but forever remembered by all who knew him."
The Sun
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Husband of iconic children's book author leaves huge £1.3million fortune to family after his death
THE BELOVED husband of Gruffalo author Julia Donaldson left a £1.3m fortune to his family, it has emerged. Dr Malcolm Donaldson was a paediatric consultant and senior lecturer in child health at the University of Glasgow until his retirement. 3 3 The university later appointed him honorary senior research fellow at its School of Medicine, Dentistry & Nursing. He was married to Julia, whose children's books The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo's Child have been global best-sellers, for 52 years. He passed away aged 75 in September last year, and probate documents revealed he left an estate valued at £1,322,528. A will he prepared in 2020 instructed his fortune should be handed to his family. Julia is the author of over 184 published works and a former Children's Laureate. The Gruffalo was first published in 1999 and has sold more than 13.5m copies. The couple lived in the Glasgow suburb of Bearsden from 1987 until moving to Surrey in 2014. As a highly respected academic, Dr Donaldson wrote or contributed to more than 180 publications, papers and books. But he was also an accomplished actor, singer and guitarist who accompanied his wife to perform her songs and stories at festivals, schools, libraries and bookshops around the world. His younger patients also gave him the affectionate nickname Dr Gruffalo. Brits urged to 'look in loft' as 5 popular 90s toys could make you serious money Tributes were paid to Donaldson after his death. Axel Scheffler, who illustrated the Gruffalo books, said: 'I have known Malcolm for 30 years and always admired his enthusiasm for our books, Julia's work and children's books in general. "All this, besides being a paediatric consultant and giving lectures all over the world. "His true passion was performing with Julia on stage, playing the guitar and acting – especially his legendary suave role of the Fox in The Gruffalo. "He will be deeply missed.' The British Society for Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes (BSPED) said: "His contributions will continue to resonate in the field of paediatric endocrinology and child health in the UK, Europe and beyond for many years to come. "His warmth, wisdom and gentle spirit will be deeply missed but forever remembered by all who knew him."
Daily Mirror
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Gruffalo author Julia Donaldson's husband left his family huge sum in his will after sad death
Doctor Malcolm Donaldson, the husband of The Gruffalo author Julia Donaldson, left a huge sum in his will following his passing last September Doctor Malcolm Donaldson, the husband of The Gruffalo author Julia Donaldson, left a whopping sum in his will after dying aged 75. Dr Donaldson was a paediatric consultant and senior lecturer in child health at the University of Glasgow until his retirement in 2012. Following his retirement, he was made honorary senior research fellow at its School of Medicine, Dentistry & Nursing. He was given the nickname 'Dr Gruffalo' by those he treated at the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow. Dr Donaldson's wife is The Gruffalo author Julia Donaldson. She penned the book in 1999 and so far, it has sold a whopping 13.5 million copies. Now it has been revealed he left a huge sum to Julia and their family in his will following his death. Probate documents have revealed that Dr Donaldson left an estate, which was valued at a huge £1,322,528. His will, written in 2020, said that he wanted his estate to go to his family. At the time of his death, tributes flooded in for Dr Donaldson. The British Society for Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes (BSPED) said: 'His contributions will continue to resonate in the field of paediatric endocrinology and child health in the UK, Europe and beyond for many years to come. His warmth, wisdom and gentle spirit will be deeply missed but forever remembered by all you knew him." Axel Scheffler, who illustrated the Gruffalo books, wrote in a tribute to Malcolm at the time of his death: "I have known Malcolm for 30 years and always admired his enthusiasm for our books, Julia's work and children's books in general. "All this beside being a paediatric consultant and giving lectures all over the world. His true passion was performing with Julia on stage, playing the guitar and acting – especially his legendary suave role of the Fox in The Gruffalo. He will be deeply missed." In an interview last year, Julia quipped that the Gruffalo - the main character of her most famous work - "hogged the attention". She said: "I think The Gruffalo's the one everyone has heard of, even people who haven't read the book. "To be honest, what I like is when people single out one of my other books as their favourite as I think The Gruffalo's a bit spoilt. He hogs too much of the attention really." She admitted she didn't think the book would even get published, adding: "I didn't really think it was going to get published. I had no idea. I had had quite a few rejections from other stories I'd written." Dr Donaldson was married to Julia for over five decades before his sad death in September last year.
Daily Mail
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Enormous amount doctor husband of Gruffalo author Julia Donaldson left to his family in his will
The late husband of Gruffalo author Julia Donaldson left a £1.3million fortune to his family, it has been revealed. Dr Malcolm Donaldson was a paediatric consultant and senior lecturer in child health at the University of Glasgow until his retirement. He died at the age of 75 on September 22. Affectionately known as Dr Gruffalo by his young patients at the city's Royal Hospital for Children, Dr Donaldson was known for his 'kindness and dedication'. He was married to the notorious children's author, whose books The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo's Child have been global best-sellers for 52 years. Following his death, probate documents revealed he left an estate valued at £1,322,528 and a will he prepared in 2020 instructed his fortune should be handed to his family. Dr Donaldson met the award-winning author and former Children's Laureate at Bristol University in 1968, when he was studying medicine and she was studying drama and French. The couple lived in the Glasgow suburb of Bearsden from 1987 until moving to Surrey in 2014. As a highly-respected academic, Dr Donaldson wrote or contributed to more than 180 publications, papers and books. But he was also an accomplished actor, singer and guitarist who accompanied his wife to perform her songs and stories at festivals, schools, libraries and bookshops around the world. Tributes were paid to Donaldson after his death. Axel Scheffler, who illustrated the Gruffalo books, said: 'I have known Malcolm for 30 years and always admired his enthusiasm for our books, Julia's work and children's books in general. 'All this beside being a paediatric consultant and giving lectures all over the world. 'His true passion was performing with Julia on stage, playing the guitar and acting - especially his legendary suave role of the Fox in*The Gruffalo. 'He will be deeply missed.' The British Society for Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes (BSPED) said: 'His contributions will continue to resonate in the field of paediatric endocrinology and child health in the UK, Europe and beyond for many years to come. 'His warmth, wisdom and gentle spirit will be deeply missed but forever remembered by all you knew him.'
