For the grandparents who say they don’t need a thing
Give them the stories behind the photographs. The small triumphs, the new beginnings and the grandchildren’s latest obsession, all together in a family newspaper.
A family newspaper is a personal gift for grandparents who enjoy keeping up with everyone. With The Relative, adults contribute stories, voice notes and photos, which become a private newspaper to read online or download as a PDF. You can print the finished PDF at home and give them a copy. Start with a verified email, choose a paid plan, then set up your newspaper. Professional printing is not available to order yet.
The present, explained
One newspaper. Their favourite people.
Your family’s news becomes newspaper articles, with photographs, captions and your own words. After preparation and editorial review, the finished edition is released to your family.
01
A private online newspaper
A finished edition for your family to read online, with everyone’s stories brought together in one place.
02
A PDF to download and keep
Save the finished newspaper so the family has a copy to return to, from the big milestones to the small everyday news.
03
A copy you can hand over
If your grandparent prefers paper, print the PDF at home and give it to them with a card. They need no app or account to read your printed copy.
The current gift is digital. Professional printing, gift boxes and postal delivery are not included or available to order yet. You arrange any printing yourself.
The Harper Herald is a fictional 10-page sample with AI-generated photographs. Your newspaper uses your family’s contributions and photographs; its content and length depend on the material and editorial checks.
One adult pays for everyone
A clear price for the whole family
Both plans include up to 20 adult contributors, the online newspaper and a downloadable PDF. Your grandparent and the other contributors do not pay separately.
Every three months
£29every three months
One edition per quarter. £29 paid upfront, renewing every three months.
A year of family news
£99per year
Four editions, one every three months. £99 paid upfront, renewing annually.
Save £17 compared with four quarterly payments.
Both are subscriptions and renew automatically until cancelled. Payment is required from the first edition. Manage future renewals in Family billing; see the service terms.
You do not need to collect essays or design the pages. Give everyone a clear invitation and a manageable request.
Choose an organiser and start the newspaper
One adult verifies their email, chooses a plan and pays. Then they enter their name, name the newspaper and set up the family.
Share the private family invitation link
Send the link from your family desk to the adults taking part. Each uses their own verified email to contribute. Keep the link within your family.
Ask for three or four updates and a few photos
A few lines or a voice note will do. Ask for names and context for each picture, and use the edition’s submission deadline. Parents can include children’s news; adults can add pets, recipes and recommendations too.
Follow progress, then give the finished edition
Your family desk shows who has submitted. Nudge anyone still finishing, and remind them to submit their update. The reporter works from the supplied facts and quotes; the paper is checked and reviewed before release. Once it is ready, download the PDF or read the edition together.
01
Choose a gift around what they love
A photo book suits someone who loves looking back through pictures. A recorded conversation or life-story book gives space to their memories. A day together makes time for a shared experience. A family newspaper brings together what everyone is doing now, with the words and details behind the photos.
For a grandparent who asks after every cousin, remembers every new job and wants to know how the dog is getting on, that collection of ordinary news can be the point of the gift.
A photo book: photographs from one trip or a whole year.
A life-story project: their memories, recorded in their own words.
A family newspaper: everyone’s recent news and photographs in one edition.
Time together: a meal, a visit or a shared day out.
02
Make it sound like your family
Ask each adult for three or four things they would tell the family over lunch. A voice note works if writing feels like a chore. Add photographs with names and a little context so the story makes sense to someone who was not there.
The Relative’s AI-assisted reporter shapes those contributions into articles using the supplied facts and quotes. Children’s and pets’ news can be included through an adult. Your editor reviews the newspaper before the finished edition is released.
03
Will they enjoy a newspaper, a photo book or time together?
Think about how they like to catch up. If they ask for the story behind every photograph, a newspaper gives those details room. If they mainly want a collection of pictures from one occasion, a photo book may suit them better. If what they would most enjoy is a visit, make the visit the gift.
A newspaper also needs willing contributors and someone to organise the start. It is a recurring subscription, not an instant one-off gift. One adult pays for the group; there is no separate charge for the grandparent to read a copy you print from the finished PDF.
04
Five questions that make the gift more personal
Choose a question your recipient would enjoy answering as well as reading. Their own news belongs in the newspaper too. There is no need for a formal tribute or a grand family announcement.
What would you show us first if we came round this weekend?
Which small family habit makes you smile?
What has changed since our last visit?
Which recipe, photograph or saying would you like us to keep?
What are you looking forward to doing together?
05
A practical checklist before you choose a date
Ask whether enough relatives would like to contribute, choose an organiser and look through the fictional sample. Decide whether the recipient will read online or whether you will print the PDF yourself. For Christmas, a birthday or an anniversary, check the preparation timetable before promising a finished edition.
After release, download the PDF and check a page on your home printer before making the full copy. Add a handwritten note explaining who contributed. Professional printing, gift packaging and postal delivery are not currently available to order; no Christmas order deadline or delivery guarantee has been announced.
Good to know
Your questions, answered
What can you give grandparents who have everything?
Start with something personal: time together, family photographs, their recorded memories or a newspaper full of everyone’s recent news. A family newspaper is particularly suited to grandparents who enjoy following the everyday lives of the people they love.
Can grandparents read it without an app?
Yes. You can give them a copy of the finished PDF printed at home. They do not need an app or account to read that paper copy. Online contributors use their own login.
Is a printed newspaper included?
The current offer includes the digital edition and a PDF you can print yourself. Professional printing, packaging and delivery are separate and are not available to order yet.
What exactly does the recipient receive?
After the newspaper is reviewed and released, your family receives a private online edition and a downloadable PDF. It brings together your family’s articles and photographs. You can print the PDF at home and give that copy to your grandparent; they do not need an account to read a copy you print for them. Professional printing, gift packaging and postal delivery are not included or available to order yet.
How much does a family newspaper gift cost?
One adult pays £29 every three months or £99 a year for four editions for the whole family or group, with up to 20 adult contributors. Each edition includes an online newspaper and a downloadable PDF to keep or print at home. Both plans are subscriptions, paid upfront and renewing automatically until cancelled. The recipient and other contributors do not need to pay separately.
How do we organise everyone’s contributions?
Choose one adult to organise and pay. Verify their email, choose a plan and pay, then name the newspaper and share the private family invitation link. Each adult uses their own verified email and sends three or four recent updates as text or a voice note, plus photographs with names and context. The organiser follows submission progress in the family desk. Children and pets can be included through an adult. Allow time for preparation and editorial review before giving the finished edition.
