re care homes. We regularly drive past one and I tell dd that's where I want to go, because a huge sign says it's Outstanding. Like that would be enough to go on...
Love the idea of local surrogate grandparenting. It would need to be pretty well organised. Maybe a Gransnet/Mumsnet joint venture? Wouldn't that be great?
Re the bookclub - it could work like this. Imagine we had say 10-20 Gransnet bookclubs around the country, each with say 10 members. When a publisher had a book club type book coming out, they could send 100-200 copies out to book club leaders - or direct to GNHQ - so that the clubs could read and discuss it.
There could then be a webchat with the author - which would go well, because of a known pool of 100-200 Gransnetters who had already read and discussed the book.