What mums really want for Mothers day

Mothers Day generally catches us unaware. It doesn’t have a set day, it is on the fourth Sunday of Lent or three weeks before Easter Sunday. If that means nothing to you, it is either in March or the start of April and is always on a Sunday. Google is your friend here!

Just like Valentines Day, the shops will be full of Mothers Day gifts. Special teddies, plastic crowns and fake flowers don’t make mums feel that loved. ‘I love mum’ mugs, unless hand painted, would not fit in well with vintage Denby. What mums really want is some time to relax and possibly a hand made card.

Facebook groups came up with some great ideas for things mums really do want.

Things mums really want candles cupcakes sewing things books seeds bulbs gardening things cooking things flowers colouring books for grown ups colouring pens/pencils

Plants are a really popular idea with lots of mums.

Welsh Mum Christy said “I’d love a new potted plant for the bathroom – something that will live a long time, doesn’t require much maintenance and will help clean the air. Cut flowers are pretty, but a potted plant is simple and sustainable.”

Alison suggests a packet of seeds and her website The Mindful Gardener is full of ideas on how to use them.

Time without

It makes me feel like a terrible mum to say it, but one of the best Mothers Days I had when my son was an exhausting toddler was an “I’m not a Mother Day”. His dad took him off for the whole day and I remember the bliss of going to the loo on my own for once.

Sarah from the Mummy’s Whine Club said a morning in bed with a good book would be ideal. “If a cuppa and a pancake was delivered too that would be a bonus.”

Vicky from Cosy Crochet loves the idea of a lie in and breakfast in bed too.

Latte Lindsay from would love some “Peace and quiet! My kids are always fighting, screaming and just being plain loud! I would love them to sit with a colouring book for an hour or two ????“

Beth from Twinderelmo has twins so doubly deserves “A hot uninterrupted bubble bath (why does everyone need the toilet when you go in?!)”

Emma Reed would like “Sleep, quiet time and perhaps a nice massage somewhere. Just some serene time.”

Andrea from www.mothertonguenotes.com says “A day off. No kids. No husband.” would be an ideal Mothers Day gift.

Gemma from www. mummyswaisted.co.uk wants “Sleeeeeeeeeeep! It’s all I’ve wanted for the last five years ????”

“a day without bickering is nice”

Tasks done by others A break from doing everyday chores is really popular with lots of mums.

“time is a nice gift. A meal made by my kids (and cleaned up after) would be the best gift

“all I want is time to sleep and not have to prepare dinner now and then.”

Kate from www.everafterwithkids.com would like “Someone else to cook the dinner!”

The Growing Mum Victoria wants “A cleaning fairy ???? Failing that, child-free time to productively tidy and declutter.”

Simple things

Jacqueline from Just Add Ginger would like “A cup of hot coffee that I can drink at a leisurely pace and a family day together where using phones is banned!”

Carly from Mummy and the Chunks likes the simple things in life too. “Honestly just some nice handmade cards or pictures from the kids. I love their proud little faces when they hand over something they have made especially for you!”

The Ad-Lib Mummy Kathryn would like “ A lie in and a nice day out somewhere simple… If we weren’t in the middle.of a snowstorm I’d have loved a picnic or similar… Maybe we’ll have an indoors tea party instead!”

And Justine from Lil Jem and Baby E has a simple request I really relate to. “A hot drink. Not cold. Not lukewarm. Not tepid. Not forgotten about and found again two days later. Hot! ????“

Time with people

As my son got older I started to cherish time with him more, recent Mothers Days have been spent eating out using special offers or going to the cinema. Kaya from Earning by the Sea summed this up by calling it “Presence over presents”

Taking time to go somewhere or do something as a family can be a wonderful present. How about: a walk in the country

Vicky from Vicky Myers a local treasure hunt (Groupon often have deals for these) afternoon tea a picnic (indoors or out)

Creations would like a walk on the beach with no moans!

Gypsy Soul Gina has a lovely idea with “A nice country walk with the family followed by a roast dinner in a pub with open fires (and red wine of course)”

Gifts to others

If you don’t want to give or receive but others are insistent ask them to buy supplies for refuges, donate to food banks or to the animal rescue instead.

What do mums really want for Mothers Day?

The one thing that stands out in all the ideas for Mothers Day presents is the need for time to recharge. Mums don’t need stuff they will never use. They might love a handmade card but they would prefer a decent nap, someone else cooking or a day without a tantrum more than anything else.

Where is Hebden Bridge? Happy Valley filming location explained - what other shows and movies are shot there

BBC crime drama Happy Valley was filmed at Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire. Other productions filmed there include Peterloo, and Death Comes to Pemberly

The final episode of Happy Valley, which National World gave 4.5 stars and called ‘the perfect summation of the show’ landed on

Sunday. The series is likely the most wellknown and most popular production to be filmed at Hebden Bridge.

The series, which first aired in 2014 and returned for two more seasons in 2016 and on New Year’s Day 2023 was filmed on location at the market town, but is far from the only production to have been filmed there. Landmarks from the town, which will be well-known to locals, have popped up across several major films and TV shows over the last several decades - these are the biggest productions that have filmed at Hebden Bridge.

Where is Hebden Bridge?

Hebden Bridge is a market town in the Calder Valley in West Yorkshire, eight miles west of Halifax. The town has a population of around 4,500 but has seen an influx in tourism since the town featured as the backdrop to crime drama Happy Valley. Happy Valley was filmed at Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire

Happy Valley was filmed at Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire

What shows and films have been filmed at Hebden Bridge?

Happy Valley

The show that put Hebden Bridge on the map, BBC crime drama Happy Valley was filmed at the West Yorkshire location for each season. Since the show first aired in 2014, tourism to the town has increased as fans of the show flock there.

The series, which came to a dramatic conclusion last week, follows police sergeant Catherine Cawood on her beat in the Calder Valley, where she takes on serious murder cases.

Peterloo

The 2018 historical drama starring Rory Kinnear tells the story of the 1819 Peterloo Massacre in which British forces attacked a peaceful pro-democracy rally in Manchester, killing 18 and injuring hundreds.

Despite recalling one of the most significant moments in Manchester’s history, the film was not shot in the city. Scenes of workers completing drills before marching were shot at Hebden Bridge, and Shibden Hall in Halifax also features in the film. Other filming locations included Lincolnshire, Kent, and London.

Death Comes to Pemberley

BBC period drama, based on characters from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, follows Elizabeth and Darcy, six years into their marriage as they prepare for their annual ball - when a murder puts the celebrations on hold.

The series, which stars Matthew Rhys and Anna

Maxwell Martin as well as Happy Valley villain James Norton, was filmed at several Yorkshire and Derbyshire locations including Hardcastle Crags at Hebden Bridge, Castle Howard in York, and Chatsworth House.

Nicholas Nickleby

2002 Charles Dickens film adaptation Nicholas Nickleby, starring a young Charlie Hunnam and Jamie Bell, follows a young man’s efforts to save his family and friends from his uncle’s abuse.

Gibson Mill in Hebden Bridge stands in for Dotheby Hall, the brutal Yorkshire school of Dickens’ novel. Other scenes were also shot on location at Hardcastle Crags, with further shooting taking place at locations across London and Cambridgeshire.

Swallows and Amazons

The 2016 family drama film, starring Kelly Macdonald and Andrew Scott, about four children who sail to their own island where they start a war with a group of rival children.

Heptonstall, Hebden Bridge features as the backdrop to the Rio carnival scenes, as well as the scenes where the children go shopping. Other Yorkshire filming locations for the film include Leeds, Bradford, and Harrogate.

Fanny and Elvis

This late ‘90s comedy starring Kerry Fox and Ray Winstone follows a Yorkshire writer, Kate, who finds out that she is running out of time to have children on the same day that her husband leaves her.

Kate looks for a lodger and finds the homeless car dealer Dave (Winstone), who she comes to believe may be the answer to her pregnancy problem. The movie was filmed across God’s Own County, with locations including Hebden Bridge and Ilkley, Bradford.