Welcome.


Hi everyone and welcome to Bristol Grandparents Support Group blog. Although we are Bristol based we have grandparents from all over the UK and beyond as members.

It is estimated that over one million children in the UK are denied contact with their grandparents due to family breakdown which may have been caused by divorce/separation, alcohol/drug dependency,domestic violence,bereavement or family feud.
Every child has the right to have contact with their grandparents
if they wish and unless proven unsafe for them to do so. To deny contact from a parent or grandparent has to become as socially unacceptable as drink driving.
I hope to keep you up to date with what is going on in BGSG and I shall continue to campaign for the rights of children to have a loving and meaningful relationship with both parents and their extended family. So please join in as good to hear your views, not just mine!
I also will support via Skype.
There is no membership fee to be part of Bristol Grandparents Support Group.
Esther Rantzen says, " To every grandparent, links of love can never be broken in our hearts."

Please contact during office hours.
07773258270


Sunday, 21 October 2012

Common Denominator.

Since the programme on Inside Out West, I have had a huge response from people, all saying "thank goodness I am not the only one."
If you haven't seen it on iplayer, you only have until tomorrow as it is only there for 7 days.
Not only have I heard from grandparents but also from non resident parents, the common denominator is that we are being denied contact with children and grandchildren.
I really would like to see all groups working together, to be able to pool are experiences and skills would be a very positive move.
I was accused this week of always saying that grandparents should not go down the legal route.
There are several things that I need to say, firstly when you take part in any programme or do articles, the editors always edit the content so I have no control at all of the end result.
We spend days filming or talking for probably just a few minutes.
Also it is purely my person view that the legal route has its pitfalls, the emotional stress, the expense etc, that is not to say that if a grandparent makes that decision of course I support them through that.
It can be the correct decision for some and it can be successful, but there are no guarantees.
As said in the programme, it does seem ridiculous in this day and age that we are even discussing the need for people to have to go to court to try and gain contact with their children or grandchildren.

Jane
www.bristolgrandparentssupportgroup.co.uk

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