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Why Steps star Claire Richards has had her children vaccinated against flu

The mum-of-2 had her kids vaccinated at school to help prevent the spread of flu this winter

When the colder weather hits, so can nasty bugs and viruses – especially flu. And while flu can be an unpleasant but self-limiting illness for many, for those who are vulnerable, such as babies and the elderly, it can prove particularly troublesome. To help combat the spread of flu, the NHS offers free nasal spray vaccinations for children, who are most likely to catch and spread flu to other family members.

If your children are aged between 2 and 3 as of 31 August, their GP surgery will contact you to arrange their vaccination, although you can also contact them directly to make an appointment. All school-aged children – from reception up to year 11 – in England will be offered the nasal spray at their school. These vaccines are free on the NHS. Steps star Claire Richards – mum to 14-year-old Charlie and 13-year-old Daisy – is just one of the millions of parents across the country who has opted to have their children vaccinated at school this winter to help protect her family.

“This is a particularly important year for the kids to have the flu vaccine because I think everyone’s going to be quite surprised by what could happen after being kept apart last year,” she says. “I think we underestimate the human contact that we had up until now. Both my kids have already had colds this year. I just think our immune systems are going to be much lower than usual, so it’s going to be easier to pick up nasty bugs, particularly flu.”

And the singer knows all too well just how bad flu can be, having contracted it when she was a teen: “It was horrendous. I would hate for my kids to feel as bad as I did – I couldn’t even walk. I had to crawl to the door to get my mum, so anything we can do to help protect our kids from feeling like that, we’ve got to do it.”

Claire reveals shielding her children’s grandparents also played a part in her decision to have the kids vaccinated. “My mum is classed as a vulnerable person and my husband’s parents are both nearly 80. Daisy and Charlie see them regularly, so it’s really important that we protect them too.”

How does it work for school-aged children?

To make the process quicker and simpler for parents and school children up to year 11, the NHS administers the nasal spray flu vaccine in schools. All parents need to do is sign a consent form, which for many schools can be done online and takes just minutes. “I’m so disorganised as a parent,” Claire laughs. “But getting the consent form done was really straight forward. The school sent a link and I had to click it and enter a code for the kids’ school. I just filled out a form for each of them and that was it. Everything else was taken care of.”

When asked how her children found the vaccine itself, Claire said neither of them experienced any side effects and were “absolutely fine”. She explains, “It’s just a spray up the nose, it’s not an injection, so any kids who are a bit worried about needles, that’s completely taken away.”

It’s important to note, the nasal spray vaccine does contain small traces of porcine gelatine. For those who do not accept the use of porcine gelatine in medical products, an alternative injectable vaccine is available this year.

If you would like further information about the flu vaccination or wish to accept the offer of a flu vaccination for your children, please talk to your healthcare professional or visit the dedicated flu vaccine page

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