Siblings pen poem about '˜best granny'

Phoenix Natural Gas called for children who had recently visited the MAC to nominate someone who has made their life a little sweeter at the Phoenix Sweetie Shop.

Over 1,000 submissions were received; some funny, some imaginative and some especially heartfelt. Having reviewed all the entries, it became apparent that the grandparents of Northern Ireland are helping to sweeten up the lives of local children.

The little sweethearts, Rowan and Robyn (6) Doherty, nominated their Granny Bernie, writing a poem to describe her, “my Granny is so kind to us, she takes us swimming on the bus. Her hair is red, her eyes are kind, she’s the best Granny we could find!”

Rowan, Robyn and their Granny are one of five winners from across Northern Ireland.

Cathy Magovern, Marketing and Events Manager at Phoenix Natural Gas said: “We were overwhelmed by the number of children who praised their grandparents for making their lives sweeter at our Sweetie Shop at the MAC. It is evident through the nominations that children in Northern Ireland truly value the warmth and love from their grandparents. We are delighted to offer the children an opportunity to warm the hearts of their grandparents by treating them to a sweet day out.

“Children visiting the MAC over the festive period had the opportunity to write about someone who had made their lives a little bit sweeter; reading about all the lovely people who have impacted the lives of these children, we heard about delightful dinner ladies, playful pets and super siblings – but the people who just kept popping up were grandparents.

“Winter can be a difficult time for the elderly community in Northern Ireland, with dark and cold nights, so we wanted to arrange a post-Winter treat to brighten their January and give them a Grand Day Out to enjoy with their grandchildren.”