A mother and father of eight children felt the full wrath of the law when they were fined £480 for taking their children out of school for a family holiday.
Jaime, 37, and Richard Hansen, 46, from Essex decided to book a holiday to Tenerife, their first trip abroad in ten years, during term time in a bid to save much-needed extra pennies.
The holiday cost £4,000 for all ten family members, but the parents were slapped with an additional cost in the form of eight penalty notices at a cost of £60 each for taking their children out of school during term time without permission.
However, the couple who appear in tonight’s episode of Big Family Values: More Kids than Cash on Channel 5, seemed accepting of the £480 fine.
Richard, who is a self-employed builder, explained: ‘We’ve not had a holiday in ten years, to go a week later in the school holidays would have cost us an extra £2,500.’
The family of 10, who live in a cramped semi-detached house, rely on Richard’s income as a self-employed builder to cover their annual outgoings of £25,000 as Jaime can’t work due to her severe arthritis.
It’s not clear if they claim any extra assistance via benefits because of Jamie’s condition.
Richard and Jaime Hansen are parents to eight children, they were hit with a fine for £480 after going on holiday with their children
They risked a penalty notice after deciding to take them to Tenerife for their first family trip in ten years during term time because it was cheaper
The 10-strong Hansen family, pictured outside their semi-detached London home, feature in Channel 5’s Big Family Values: More Kids than Cash
According to the programme, the average family holiday costs £1,500.
But because the Hansons have so many children it would cost them almost £7,000 to go abroad during school holidays.
And the parents can ill afford to splash out given the constant financial pressure they’re under as they raise their huge brood.
The weekly food shop, which involves heading to the supermarket after the children go to bed, comes to at least £200.
Jaime reveals that they go through 10 loaves of bread, 50 pieces of fruit, 10 kilos of potatoes, 25 toilet rolls, 80 tea bags, and 84 pints of milk a week.
Under constant financial pressure managing the ten-strong household also means that Richard and Jaime don’t have cash spare for themselves.
And any spare funds they had set aside for a date night is spent on paying the school fines they were issued.
They have to celebrate their 13th wedding anniversary with a Chinese takeaway for two – which adds up to £64 when their two eldest decide they want in – and Richard treats his wife to a £25 bouquet of flowers.
Jaime stays at home to look after the often chaotic household, where she shares regular updates about her family life as a mother-of-eight via her video blog.
She explained that she began posting an online diary because so many people had asked her how she manages,.
Jaime also filmed their rare family holiday too for her vlog.
‘It was a crazy time. But it was a nice change of scenery,’ she said.
The parents have to budget their outgoings on one income as Jaime can no longer work due to her severe arthritis
Instead she video blogs her family life at home and filmed their recent trip abroad to Tenerife which they all watch back in the Channel 5 programme
The couple, who celebrate their 13th anniversary with a Chinese takeaway, do a weekly shop which comes to £200 to feed their children
Despite living life on a tight budget the pair admit they have no regrets about having such a large family: ‘Once you have kids you give up your right to me time.
‘I wouldn’t have it any other way,’ Richard says.
‘If we could go back I would do it all exactly the same,’ adds Jaime.
Big Family Values: More Kids than Cash airs tonight on Channel 5 at 8pm