More than Grandparents: taking support to the next level

Published on 18, August, 2025

Local charity More than Grandparents have visited the University of Sunderland to strengthen the partnership developed through the University’s Centre for Graduate Prospects – and to brush up on their climbing skills.

More than Grandparents are a Sunderland-based organisation which provides support for kinship carers - grandparents, aunts and uncles or other family members looking after children whose parents are unable to do so.

They hold regular peer support meetings allowing the kinship carers to chat about similar experiences and where possible enjoy social events and opportunities for respite to improve their physical and mental wellbeing. 

More than Grandparents supported a recent UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) Innovation Placement for a student from the School of Psychology, now thanks to that work the University has launched a group where Sports and Exercise Sciences students could encourage physical activity for the carers to engage in. 

Suzan Dudink, a Senior Lecturer in Sports Coaching and Exercise and also GB Climbing Coach, provided the group with a fun afternoon on campus. Highlights of the visit included University’s climbing wall and balloon badminton. 

Suzan said: "It was a pleasure to lead a session for the More than Grandparents event. As someone who is interested in the developmental stages of children, it was very rewarding to work with a group of young participants across a range of ages. 

"Climbing is a sport that requires not only physical ability but also creativity and self-awareness. It was wonderful to see all the children engaging so enthusiastically, each using their unique strengths and problem-solving skills to tackle the challenges presented on the climbing wall."

More than Grandparents were appreciative of the opportunity. Mel Nicholls, CEO of the charity, said she could see the possibilities for the kinship carers but also recognised, "It is about raising the aspirations of our young people, coming into University opens their eyes to what their future could hold. That is really important for our children. 

"It’s also an exciting time working with the University. I am excited to see what develops within Sport to benefit our carers."

Nurturing the partnerships with our local community is a contributing part to Work Integrated Learning in the curriculum and that is recognised and practiced by academic staff at the University of Sunderland.

Lorna Hurt, Work Integrated Learning Coordinator within the Centre for Graduate Prospects, consulted with Senior Lecturers within the University’s sports programmes Eddie Bradley and Morc Coulson to help identified the groups that would benefit from a campus visit. 

Lorna said: "Providing real life experiences for the students via work integrated learning opportunities like placement hours or live briefs for example, helps shape their understanding and capabilities of working in industry. 

"When giving back it is important to make this a collaborative effort, and this project is just one example of where this is working exceptionally well." 

>