Picture: The Weaver family taken by Sonja Horsman

by Jenni Horn

jhorn@thekmgroup.co.uk

They get through 74 pints of milk a week, do four loads of washing a day and are already planning Christmas dinner.

Peter and Maggie Weaver, from Wainscott, have their hands full with a staggering 11 children.

The couple got in touch with the Medway Messenger after reading about Tania Sullivan, from Hoo, who has nine children – and gave birth to twins on Tuesday.

The Weaver offspring are Shvonne 33, Terry, 25, Hayley, 20, Peter, 17, Rebecca, 15, Harry, 13, Amanda, 12, Robbie, 10, Kerry-Ann, eight, Gemma, six and five-year-old Ellie-Mae.

Maggie became a grandmother aged just 31 – at the same time she was pregnant with son Peter.

The three eldest children have now moved out, but the rest still live in the family home in Gold Drive where life is hectic to say the least.

Maggie, 48, said: “Everything has to be done like a military operation and things like taking the kids to school have to run like clockwork.”

Peter, 50, said: “Everything in the house has to have a place, like the girls’ hair bands and all the children’s shoes."

christmas is coming...

the weavers are already planning christmas dinner, when peter and maggie will cook for 22 family members, including all the children, grandchildren and maggie’s mum.

to make sure everyone will be able to sit down together, they are borrowing three dining rooms tables from temple mill primary school that will be squeezed into the living room – and now all they have to do is find 22 chairs.

peter and maggie plan to be up for most of the night on christmas eve, peeling potatoes and vegetables until the early hours.

the couple start buying christmas presents in january and maggie says wrapping them all takes so long she now does it when she buys them.

peter said: “last year after everyone opened their presents on christmas morning we had nine bin bags just full of wrapping paper.”

The Weavers shop at the supermarket two or three times a week and spend around £350 on groceries every week.

Maggie said: “You have to budget. I usually cook something I can do in a big pot like a stew. The children eat first and then we eat later, except on Sundays when we all eat together.”

Going on holiday is also a major operation – the last time the family went away, to Butlins in Bognor Regis earlier this year, they took three cars and hired three chalets.

Childhood sweethearts Peter and Maggie met at school in Hackney, London, 35 years ago and moved to Medway in 2006. They have appeared on GMTV and been featured in magazines such as Take a Break.

Maggie said: “All our children were planned, apart from our first child Shvonne. We love having a big family. We have been very lucky and we see each child as a blessing.”