Veteran mum Sue Povey of Grange Park has hinted after the arrival of her latest baby that it might not have been her final pregnancy. Eleanor, born at the end of August, is a lovely child, but Sue and husband Ian have decided that thirteen might be an unlucky number.

Having produced a football team with a couple of reserves, they could be heading for a rugby squad.

Already a busy family, Ian, who works for Rover, finds time to coach the expanding and successful Chiseldon girls football club, Sue is the secretary. Membership is up to fifty players in different teams and they are looking for more players. (See the Sports Stars pages on this site).

"Having a large number of children makes it easier to manage a family," said Sue. "Everyone has their own job around the house and there's always somebody to play with. Nowadays the older children are helping out with babysitting and holiday care. "Eleanor is as good as gold and has fitted in really well. Everybody loves her."

After Abbie, number 12, Ian wasn't surprised when Sue announced another baby was on the way. "It's never boring in this family. We all get on well with each other and the children quickly learn to be tolerant, to share and to help each other."

Thomas, 7, likes being in a large family. "It's great having the others to play with." Katie, 5, said, "I like having new babies in the house."

But Matt, 9, is not too sure about being one of many. "It gets a bit too noisy sometimes."

As for the next generation of Poveys, Sue said that one of her older daughters has declared she would like lots of children, whilst another has stated she won't be having any.