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Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
How I entertain my grandchildren on the cheap
For families with young children in their midst, July is a month of two halves: pre and post school break-up. The first half is an unholy mix of sports days, sun cream, final year shows, class day trips, school fairs, lost hats, battered school shoes temporarily mended with superglue, and half a dozen bottles for myriad raffles. Parents are battling with the associated demands of those events and requests alongside the usual day job. Then a 30-degree heatwave arrives where no one sleeps for five days and it really feels like it's some sort of ill-conceived cosmic joke. But it gets worse. Because attending school at least means they're not at home. Children at home require adult supervision, feeding and entertainment, which can't always be performed by a parent – the disconnect between the length of state school holidays (12 weeks) and annual leave (32 days) is well-documented. Enter the reasonably fit and half-willing grandparent. According to a recent survey commissioned by MyVoucherCodes, 53 per cent of grandparents are set to perform some sort of childcare this summer and a quarter of grandparents are worried about the cost – with an average price of food and fun rising from £15.80 per day last year to £21 in 2025. But that's not the half of it. For example, a ticket to Whipsnade Zoo costs £31.75 for a senior entry, with every child costing £23.65 thereafter. One-day tickets to Warwick Castle start at £26 per person and even a ramble around the National Trust's various properties will cost upwards of £20 for adults and £12 for children – precisely why buying a year's membership always seems irritatingly sensible at the gate. And that's before you factor in drinks, food, the dreaded gift shop and standard ice cream. However, money doesn't always need to enter the equation. Simple pleasures can still reign supreme. One Telegraph staffer, who himself remembers being taken as a boy to Heathrow to watch the planes land and take off ('A great day out'), recently recounted that, while he'd been at work, his father took his young son to watch the buses for two hours and he's 'never seen either of them happier.' 'My son's favourite thing to do is watch transport,' he explains. 'We are lucky to live in Finsbury Park, which has an extremely busy train station with a bus station on both sides. Given what a popular hobby watching trains is, there are surprisingly few good vantage points – a canny council could install a viewing area above a busy line – so I often find myself paying the same-station exit charge to do it. On a fine morning, we can go up to the platform and watch trains going past, waving at the drivers and hoping for either a wave or, ideally, a toot of the horn.' Low cost, wholesome and rather charming. But are there similar options out there for older children and those with different interests? As grandparents look into the summer holiday abyss and wonder how on earth they're expected to curate a memory-making experience in these coming weeks, we're asking readers to suggest activities for grandchildren that entertain, enthuse and crucially, don't empty the bank account. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Solve the daily Crossword
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
How I entertain my grandchildren on the cheap
For families with young children in their midst, July is a month of two halves: pre and post school break-up. The first half is an unholy mix of sports days, sun cream, final year shows, class day trips, school fairs, lost hats, battered school shoes temporarily mended with superglue, and half a dozen bottles for myriad raffles. Parents are battling with the associated demands of those events and requests alongside the usual day job. Then a 30-degree heatwave arrives where no one sleeps for five days and it really feels like it's some sort of ill-conceived cosmic joke. But it gets worse. Because attending school at least means they're not at home. Children at home require adult supervision, feeding and entertainment, which can't always be performed by a parent – the disconnect between the length of state school holidays (12 weeks) and annual leave (32 days) is well-documented. Enter the reasonably fit and half-willing grandparent. According to a recent survey commissioned by MyVoucherCodes, 53 per cent of grandparents are set to perform some sort of childcare this summer and a quarter of grandparents are worried about the cost – with an average price of food and fun rising from £15.80 per day last year to £21 in 2025. But that's not the half of it. For example, a ticket to Whipsnade Zoo costs £31.75 for a senior entry, with every child costing £23.65 thereafter. One-day tickets to Warwick Castle start at £26 per person and even a ramble around the National Trust's various properties will cost upwards of £20 for adults and £12 for children – precisely why buying a year's membership always seems irritatingly sensible at the gate. And that's before you factor in drinks, food, the dreaded gift shop and standard ice cream. However, money doesn't always need to enter the equation. Simple pleasures can still reign supreme. One Telegraph staffer, who himself remembers being taken as a boy to Heathrow to watch the planes land and take off ('A great day out'), recently recounted that, while he'd been at work, his father took his young son to watch the buses for two hours and he's 'never seen either of them happier.' 'My son's favourite thing to do is watch transport,' he explains. 'We are lucky to live in Finsbury Park, which has an extremely busy train station with a bus station on both sides. Given what a popular hobby watching trains is, there are surprisingly few good vantage points – a canny council could install a viewing area above a busy line – so I often find myself paying the same-station exit charge to do it. On a fine morning, we can go up to the platform and watch trains going past, waving at the drivers and hoping for either a wave or, ideally, a toot of the horn.' Low cost, wholesome and rather charming. But are there similar options out there for older children and those with different interests? As grandparents look into the summer holiday abyss and wonder how on earth they're expected to curate a memory-making experience in these coming weeks, we're asking readers to suggest activities for grandchildren that entertain, enthuse and crucially, don't empty the bank account.
The Independent
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Adorable moment baby Zebra plays with older brother at zoo
Watch the heart-warming moment that a pair of Zebra brothers play with each other at Whipsnade Zoo. Footage shared by the zoo on Monday (14 July) shows the unnamed two-month-year-old calf chasing his older brother Zinabi around a tree at the zoo near Dunstable. The baby, who was born in May, can also be seen feeding on the grass and lying out in the sun. The pair of zebras are part of the zoo's Grevy's zebra herd, which hail from grassland and shrubland of Ethiopia and Kenya. They are well adapted to the heat, so have had no problem coping with the UK 's recent stream of heatwaves.
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Safari park's new hippos 'are a dream come true'
A safari park has welcomed two hippos into their new home as part of its "commitment to conservation". Mother and son duo, Lola and Hodor, settled into their new enclosure at Longleat Safari Park in Wiltshire, alongside Matylda and Manon from the Czech Republic. The four hippos are housed in a state-of-the-art complex designed to have capacity for any resulting offspring, creating a self-sustaining family group known as a bloat. Staff say their arrival is "vital" for the conservation breeding programme for this vulnerable species, although it is too early to say when breeding may occur. Their arrival follows the deaths of Sonia and Spot, who had lived in Half Mile Pond for more than 40 years. Lola, 21, and her son Hodor, eight, were born at Whipsnade Zoo near Dunstable. Their keepers revealed their favourite food was cabbage, which Longleat staff say will "be a staple of their Wiltshire diet". Darren Beasley, head of animal operations, said it was "amazing" to see the semi-aquatic animals back at Longleat. "We will be spending the coming days letting them settle in, giving them time to get to know the keepers and slowly introducing them to each other," he said. "We hope in time to have offspring which will be a huge boost to the international breeding programme, and vital for the protection of the species which aims to stop the move towards endangerment." Guests will be able to spot the hippos in their enclosure from the Jungle Cruise, which offers trips across Half Mile Pond. Simon Askew, chief operating officer, said: "We have said from the outset that our plans for introducing hippos has been part of our commitment to conservation, sustainability and education. "Today has seen a dream become reality. "It is an exciting time for Longleat and for our guests, who may start to spot the hippos in their paddock over the coming days." Follow BBC Wiltshire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. Hippos arrive at safari park after trip across Europe Safari park's announces death of 'beloved' hippo Longleat Safari Park
BBC News
29-06-2025
- BBC News
New hippos 'vital' to Longleat Safari Park's conservation plan
A safari park has welcomed two hippos into their new home as part of its "commitment to conservation". Mother and son duo, Lola and Hodor, settled into their new enclosure at Longleat Safari Park in Wiltshire, alongside Matylda and Manon from the Czech four hippos are housed in a state-of-the-art complex designed to have capacity for any resulting offspring, creating a self-sustaining family group known as a say their arrival is "vital" for the conservation breeding programme for this vulnerable species, although it is too early to say when breeding may occur. Their arrival follows the deaths of Sonia and Spot, who had lived in Half Mile Pond for more than 40 21, and her son Hodor, eight, were born at Whipsnade Zoo near Dunstable. Their keepers revealed their favourite food was cabbage, which Longleat staff say will "be a staple of their Wiltshire diet". Darren Beasley, head of animal operations, said it was "amazing" to see the semi-aquatic animals back at Longleat."We will be spending the coming days letting them settle in, giving them time to get to know the keepers and slowly introducing them to each other," he said."We hope in time to have offspring which will be a huge boost to the international breeding programme, and vital for the protection of the species which aims to stop the move towards endangerment." 'Dream come true' Guests will be able to spot the hippos in their enclosure from the Jungle Cruise, which offers trips across Half Mile Askew, chief operating officer, said: "We have said from the outset that our plans for introducing hippos has been part of our commitment to conservation, sustainability and education. "Today has seen a dream become reality."It is an exciting time for Longleat and for our guests, who may start to spot the hippos in their paddock over the coming days."
