Family Life

As the summer holidays descend upon us, Knightshayes have kicked off the summer with a packed out programme of exciting events. These include the opportunity to climb the biggest Turkey Oak tree in England as well as achieve lots of the activities on the National Trust’s ‘50 things to do before you’re 11 ¾’ list.

Every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday during the summer holidays, there’ll be plenty of chances to get outdoors and close to nature exploring Knightshayes’ wider woodland and parkland. 2 - 4 August: Plant it, Grow it, Eat it. With a huge, fully productive kitchen garden,...

Wondering how you’re going to keep the kids amused during the summer holidays? We've come up with a few suggestions here:

Knights and Dragons Let your little ones run loose at Powderham Castle’s Knights and Dragons magical trail by Pocketwatch Theatre. The event is running from 24-29 July and is aimed at children aged 5-11. Each session lasts 45-60 minutes. www.powderham.co.uk

Bird spotting Dust your wellies off and join a guided tour with the RSPB bird spotting. The tours are every Saturday, perfect for the little ones to discover different types of bird species. Entry £...

Devon County Council is using Private Fostering week, which runs from 4 to 10 July, to encourage people to get in touch if they have made private arrangements to look after someone else’s child, or children, for 28 days or more.

Private Fostering is when a child or young person under 16 years old (or 18 if they have a disability) is looked after for 28 days or more by someone who is not a close relative, a guardian or person with parental responsibility.

A close relative includes parents, step-parents, aunts, uncles and grandparents.

This can include arrangements...

In a perfect world, all members of a family would come together to support their aging parents. However, this is an unrealistic scenario for many people, not least those who have careers and children to take care of, and it’s not uncommon to hear stories about siblings fighting over who is going to take care of mum or dad and when.

Realistically, it’s never too early to help your parents prepare for old age, and in doing so, you may alleviate a lot of the stress further down the line. Below are a few of the things you can discuss now in order to make better decisions for the...