Cuddles top gifts on Mother's Day wish list

FORGET flashy presents and glamorous gifts. All mums really want on Mother's Day is a hug, a survey has found.

According to the poll, carried out by mystery shopping company Retail Active, nine out of ten mothers said all they wanted was a good old-fashioned hug.

Second favourite was a card, with eight out of ten getting one on the day.

And for mothers with young children, a home-made card rated more highly than a bought one.

The poll found flowers were the top gift to mums on their special day, with 42 per cent of men and 36 per cent of women planning to give flowers today.

The average amount spent on Mother's Day gifts is 14.85 according to the survey, with sons being more generous than daughters.

Glaswegians came out as the least extravagant, while Essex mums were the most spoilt with an average of 22.35 being spent on them.

Men were found to be twice as likely to take their mother out to lunch than women.

The poll, which saw Retail Active survey 2,000 people last week, named actress Joanna Lumley as Britain's most ideal mother – other than people's own mum.

Managing director Julian Chamberlain said: "We were very surprised by this heart-warming result that what the majority of mums, 92 per cent, really want is just a simple hug and a big thank you.

"More than a third of those polled, 66 per cent, said they thought mother's day had become over-commercialised, with men in particular believing the day had been hijacked by commercial interests.

"The majority of men, 63 per cent, said they spend more on their mum than on their Valentine sweetheart."

Most Mother's Day gifts and cards are bought online (35 per cent), followed by 24 per cent at supermarkets, 24 per cent in the high street and 13 per cent from garage forecourts.

Things that got the thumbs down for Mother's Day included cards arriving late, phone calls late in the day, last-minute gifts obviously bought from a garage and family arguments.