Moment girl, 9, can finally hug grandparents after 81 days apart
They were allowed to reunite thanks to the government's rule for support bubbles.
Lockdown has been tough for everyone, but it’s especially difficult for people who have had to be away from loved ones.
Now, some people have been able to reunite thanks to the government’s plan for support bubbles.
One of those people is Terri-Lea Cook, aged nine, who was finally able to see her grandparents again after 81 days since lockdown began on March 23.
She met Tracy and Mike Brown, both 54, after 12 long weeks apart.
Video captured the moment she sprinted out of the gate as soon as she heard them approaching the street, before sharing a hug on Saturday.
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The couple had helped to raise her along with single mum Samantha, but were separated due to the rules on coronavirus.
Terri-Lea, from Warrington, Lancashire, said: ‘I missed them lots and lots and lots and lots.
‘I saw them every day of my life and I didn’t know how to feel after not seeing them for so long.
‘I love hugs and kisses and mummy’s hugs and kisses are nice but everyone has a different hug and I missed grandpa and grandma’s hugs.
‘Now I can hug them every day and I’m never letting them go.’
Mum Samantha says she burst into tears when the support bubbles were announced – which allowed people from single-parent households to pair up with another household and meant they could all reunite.
The 37-year-old said: ‘We had an emotional goodbye but we didn’t know how long it would be – we never expected it to be 81 days.
‘When I saw the news about the support bubble I burst into tears. It was the best news we could have wished for.’
Grandparents Tracy and Mike, live just a street away which made it even more difficult to resist the urge to pay them a visit.
Samantha added: ‘We are a really close family. I work full-time so my parents were like Terri-Lea’s parents, they spent each day with her, picked her up from school and played together.
‘She had never spent more than a few days away from her grandparents, and not being able to make my mum a cuppa has been odd.’
Retired nurse Tracy says she couldn’t sleep the night before as she knew she’d finally get to see her granddaughter after their ‘heartbreaking’ time apart.
She said her eyes were glued to the news each night hoping and praying for a positive announcement.
She said: ‘It was dreadful being away, I have been looking after her five days a week for as long as she’s been alive.
‘She sleeps over all of the time, she’s even got her own bedroom. To suddenly not be able to see her for months was heartbreaking.
She added: ‘She told me she wants me to hug her every day because we don’t know if we might not be able to again.’
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