Dad invents 'cuddle curtain' so his children can hug their grandparents during lockdown

A creative dad has invented a genius ‘cuddle curtain’ so his children can hug their grandparents during coronavirus lockdown.

One of the things we’ve missed most while practicing social distancing is being able to hug our loved ones.

While zoom enables us to keep in touch, it doesn’t quite compare to an actual cuddle, but safety restrictions due to the COVID-19 outbreak mean we have to stay 2 metres apart rendering hugs all but impossible.

This lack of affection can be particularly tough on children who are missing hugs from their grandparents.

Recognising his own kids were missing being able to cuddle the relatives they weren’t isolating with Thomas Ewing, 35, decided to do something about it.

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The dad-of-three attached plastic sleeves to a see-through shower curtain in the garden of his family home.

His hope was that the ‘cuddle curtain’ creation would enable his children Amber, 12, Alex, seven, and Hudson, one, to safely hug their grandparents.

Having put together the special curtain, site engineer, Ewing surprised his mum Vicky Ewing, 64, and step dad Jim Peck, 78, with his creation later that day.

“My mum was really missing the kids,” Ewing, from Gravesend, Kent, explains.

“They have visited us during lockdown by standing out by the front garden, but you can't beat a cuddle with your nan.

“My mum had been desperate to visit us again so I set it up ready for when they arrived, they didn't have a clue that I was doing it.”

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And the invention proved to be a massive hit, enabling the family to safely hug for the first time in weeks.

“It was a little bit strange but overall a huge success,” Ewing says. “Mum was very emotional and the kids loved it.”

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Ewing isn’t the only one to come up with the idea of a cuddle curtain. Earlier this week Antony Cauvin showcased a similarly ingenious way of hugging his grandmother safely.

Due to social distancing over two months had passed since self-employed plasterer, Cauvin, 29, had been able to give his grandmother a cuddle.

And missing her hugs, Antony created his very own cuddle curtain so that he could hug his elderly grandmother safely.