The Waimarie hosted a grand Christmas event on Wednesday as the annual Grandparents Raising Grandchildren (GRG) get-together took place.
GRG is a nationwide support group for people who have grandchildren in their care.
It has been operating for about 15 years and the Wanganui group has about 100 families.
Each year the Wanganui group has a Christmas party with this year's celebration, hosted by SKIP (Strategies with Kids/Information for Parents), including a trip up river in the Waimarie and dinner at Anndion Lodge. And Wednesday's heavy rain didn't dampen the fun on the boat. "Everyone enjoyed it - it was a chance for everyone to get together and have a bit of a chat," Wanganui GRG co-ordinator Jenny Morton said.
She said grandparents were an ideal option for caring for children whose parents couldn't.