A MUM who defied odds of 500,000-to-one to give birth to three sets of twins is celebrating the milestone of her youngest kids starting school.


Twin girls Rowan and Isla Rodger made worldwide headlines on their arrival in 2013 and are the last of their siblings to start lessons at Langbank Primary.


The girls, who turned five in May, are following in the footsteps of older brothers Lewis and Kyle, 19, born in 1998, and 17-year-olds Finn and Jude, born in 2001.

The Gazette:

The trio of twins. 

Proud mum Karen, who is a dance lecturer, and her music promoter husband Colin have three sets of non-identical twins.


“It is so emotional seeing the girls in their uniforms and off to start their school adventure,” said 47-year-old Karen. 


“I was absolutely fine until one of my older boys, Lewis, said to me he thought I was going to cry when I was dropping them off.


“I insisted I wouldn’t – then he confessed that he cried too.


“I think we were all bubbling but the girls have been so excited to start school, I think because they know their brothers went there.”


Lewis and Kyle are both at university, while Finn and Jude are in their final year at Park Mains High, in Erskine.


Simon Cundy, headteacher at Langbank Primary, said: “We are absolutely delighted to welcome the third set of twins from the Rodger family to the school.


“I know Rowan and Isla are very excited to be following their big brothers Lewis, Kyle, Finn and Jude.


“I’m pretty sure we must be the only school in the country which can make the claim to fame to have educated so many twins from the same family and we all wish the girls every success in the first steps of their school career.”


There is a history of multiple births in Karen’s family, with her maternal grandmother a twin.

The Gazette:

Isla (left) and Rowan are excited about starting school 

However, she said: “Many people assume we’ve had IVF treatment, which we haven’t. After four boys, I never felt finished and when I hit 40 I thought, ‘It’s now or never’.


“When I was pregnant for the third time it didn’t cross my mind it’d be twins again. I had a scan at six weeks when Colin was away on business and he nearly fell off his chair when I told him. After the girls were born it all seems a bit blurry life was so hectic.”


Karen admits parenthood can leave her “shattered.”


But, she added: “We just get on with it. It’s lovely to have another milestone like this.”