Holiday and travel giant Saga is to offer all staff a week's paid leave to celebrate the birth of their grandchildren.

The Folkestone-based firm says the move is a "first-of-its-kind" for a major UK business.

The offer will be open to all 2,500 staff the company, which specialises in products and services for the over-50s, employs.

In addition, it says all grandchildren of staff will also have access to its on-site nursery.

Bosses at the firm says it follows a survey which revealed a quarter of working grandparents found it 'difficult' to balance work with childcare commitments.

Jane Storm, chief people officer at Saga, said: “This is about helping new grandparents celebrate a special moment and play a role in their growing families from day one. And it’s also a symbol of how important older workers are to their companies and to society.

"Working life is getting longer, but the first question many people over 50 still hear is ‘when are you going to retire?’. We want to change that mindset and show that age is no barrier to continued professional success.

“As a purpose-led business we have a responsibility to build a representative, multigeneration workforce fit for the future, that serves the needs of our customers. Our customers are mostly over 50 and we want to have more colleagues here that reflect the community we serve. We also think this idea should be a key attraction for retention and recruitment.”

Shelley Whittam, who works in Saga’s service delivery department, plans to take the paid week off later this month. She said: “I’m so excited to be able to spend a week with my new grandchild and help our family with childcare at such an important moment.

"As a parent I’ve been through this myself and have experience that I hope will help my child get to grips with parenthood. It’s great that Saga recognises this and the vital role grandparents play in family and society.”