21 June 2024

Flora and Paul joined Twins Trust (then known as TAMBA) as members more than 30 years ago when they welcomed their twins, Christopher and Sally- Anne, into their family.
They’ve spoken about how they welcome families with multiples to their award-winning
accommodation and why it’s so important for them to still support the charity.

When Flora and Paul Bennett found out they were expecting twins, they did one of the most sensible things to help them learn about the world of multiples – they joined Twins Trust. It was the early 1990s, social media didn’t exist and most of us only had four channels on our television. It’s world’s away from the current life we lead where our smartphones rule our lives, acting as the oracle for our day-to-day movements.

Flora, a partner in a law firm, shared the couple’s story and how they went on to convert properties at Brackenborough Hall in the picturesque Lincolnshire countryside into self-catering accommodation. She said: “I only found out I was having twins when I had my 17-week scan – it was a real shock. It wasn’t expected and I had had a miscarriage before. As it happens we had a relative living close by who had had twins the year before me and went to the same toddler group. I asked her lots of questions about twins and soon after I found out about TAMBA (Twins Trust’s former name). I got in touch with TAMBA when I was pregnant because I wanted information.

“The twins were born in 1992 – Christopher and Sally-Anne. Their elder sister, Helena, was two-and-a- quarter when they were born. The first year with the twins is more or less a blank. It was so full-on.
“They were born five weeks early and both in special care overnight. They regained their birth weight after three weeks and both had jaundice. It was a rocky start for us all. Paul was very involved from the start – he had to be.

“I managed to breast feed them for about a year. We got through the first year accepting help where we could. I would go to coffee mornings and toddler group. That was when we set up our twins club. In our group there were six sets of twins, which was quite unusual. Our Twins Club meant a lot to us. I ended up running it with my relative as well. It’s quite hard for people with multiples to get out so it would vary. For me it was support with other people that understood.
“For twins of the same age in the group, we would swap twins for playdates to give them an experience of other twins and being separated. We ended up going to the pub with other parents, both mums and dads, so there was parental support for the dads too." Paul said he and Flora built close friendships with the families, enjoying a yearly trip to a theme park as a group. They still meet up every year.

Flora and Paul are the third and fourth generation of the Bennett family to live at the 800-acre working farm at Brackenborough Hall. It was a tough period for farmers when Flora was raising the children and the family made the decision to renovate buildings at the farm and transform them into self-catering apartments. In 2007, Flora and Paul opened Brackenborough Hall Coach House. Christopher now works on the farm too. The award-winning three self-catering apartments in the converted granary and stables provide families with everything they need for a stress-free stay. Pets are welcome too. Cots, toys and highchairs are provided. Children (and adults) will be in their element with tractors and a combine harvester to sit on, plus cows, calves and chickens. Children can roam free in the vast gardens and play on the rope swings, build dens or enjoy a walk in the woodlands. The farm is just a 20-minute drive from the nearest beach.

Flora added: “We found that we had a niche for people with twins because when we went on holiday with our three under three we found it was quite hard to find a place with enough cots and highchairs. We felt that we could provide all that for parents with multiples and also be sympathetic and understand some of the issues with twins. Families come back again and recommend us to other families.”
“We’ve got such a lovely farm and we enjoy sharing it with people,” Paul added.

More than 30 years on, they remain members of Twins Trust. Flora said: “Having set up the local twins club, I feel that Twins Trust has a really important role and it’s been brilliant to see it grow. For us, it’s a way of giving back.”

Twins Trust members get a 10% discount off their stay at Brackenborough Hall. Find out more on the A to Z discounters page.