People who fear Christmas

Being granted contact doesn't mean that the father will actually get to see his children. Some mothers will do their utmost to make the father out to be some evil being who doesn't love them. In this case it's the children themselves who refuse contact.
A friend of ours on his last contact visit was told by his daughters that he was a very bad daddy. They said they hated him and never wanted to see him again. They did refuse to see him and he moved away heartbroken.

But she can’t just take the children away and never let them see the father Primrose He can’t have followed it through because he could take her to court for shared custody

As it’s a friend and not your story there is no way anyone on here can help so a bit if a he says she says post

You don’t know the details so we don’t know the details but no one can just take the children and disappear the courts try to be fair to both parents unless their is otherwise cause

Has the son attended mediation? You can represent yourself in court and you can apply for help with mediation costs so it doesn't have to cost a great deal. The children will be given representation in their own interests. Has this been done?

That is very sad, and apparently unjust. Has the son in the OP applied for access or shared custody? I appreciate that it may be difficult to see the children regularly across long distances, but in most cases weekend access can be granted, with shared custody in holiday periods.

It is very unfair on all concerned if not, but I would have thought it quite unusual?

No access. Some of these mothers are very devious. Another friend never sees her small grandson because her son and his ex girlfriend never married. He has paid maintenance since the child was born and she allowed him to see him until he was about two then kept making excuses that he was ill or they were going somewhere and now that has stopped.

The problem there is, she never put his name on the birth certificate, she works in a solicitors office and her father is high up in the Police so she has obviously been getting advice. Fathers for Justice have told him it will cost him mega money to take the legal route and he doesn’t have it.

Does the son have access to his children?

It sounds an awful situation, but can the ex wife legally deny him visitation rights?

A very sad situation. We can’t know why the Mother of the children did this, but the Father can surely have regular visitation rights and contact?
Grandparents are a different story tragically and it’s easy for them to just be summarily cut off from the much loved grandchildren for life.☹️