The parents of Scotland’s largest family have spoken of their concerns about the rising cost of living.
Emma and Roy Hann, from Dundee, who have 13 children – including seven still living at home – say the situation is “really worrying and concerning”.
Roy, 52, who works at King’s Cross Hospital in Dundee, said: “Electricity has already doubled and our mortgage has jumped up.”
However, he added: “The concern is it hasn’t fully hit us yet.
“We are bracing ourselves for what’s coming.”
Emma, 53, who is co-owner of the Empire State Coffee shop in Dundee, said that with six of their children away from home and two of the seven that remain working, “things have become a little better as the children have grown up”.
Over the years, they’ve learned how to make a “sack of potatoes and vegetables go a long way”.
That said, the couple say that children’s expectations are “way higher than they used to be” compared to when their older children were younger.
They added that “what people define as poverty now has also changed”.
Starring role in BBC documentary
The pair spoke to The Courier ahead of their starring role in a three-part BBC documentary series which captures the highs and lows of life inside Scotland’s biggest families.
Filmed over the course of a typically energetic and eventful 12 months, the series follows the fortunes of the Hanns in Dundee and the Sullivans in Lossiemouth.
With their 13 children ranging in age from 31 down to seven, the series follows Roy and Emma who live in their six bedroom semi-detached house in the Buttersloan area of Dundee.
The couple were brought up in the Mormon faith where they were taught not to delay having children.
They reflect on that experience which has shaped their lives.
Split from church
However, they also talk about the emotions and challenges involved when they moved away from the church six years ago.
Roy reveals they decided to leave the Mormon Church after being “challenged by some of the policies and doctrines” surrounding the church’s historical attitudes to race and LGBTQI issues.
Roy said: “We didn’t find it to be a safe place for our family to be in anymore.
“Leaving has been like taking the blinkers off.”
Emma added: “It’s been challenging for us because it was our community. They’ve turned their back on us.
“We are definitely so much better now we are out.”
Lossiemouth family featured too
Meanwhile, 90 miles north of Dundee in Lossiemouth, the series also follows the Sullivans.
Parents Ben, an engineer at the nearby RAF base, and Zoe, who used to work in administration, share their four bedroom home with their 11 children – and there’s a new baby on the way.
Ben chronicles events in the hectic family life for an increasingly popular social media channel he has launched, including the fun and chaos involved in organising a day out at the nearby beach.
When to see the programme on TV
Scotland’s Biggest Families is a Friel Kean Films production for BBC Scotland.
Episode 1/3, airs on BBC One Scotland at 8pm on Monday October 31.
A fuller interview with the Hann family will feature in a future edition of The Courier’s Weekend magazine.
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