Are you a family of selfers, techies - or are you good intenders? Forget the nuclear family, HELEN ROBERTS and JON DOEL take a look at a new survey which shows how our lives are changing.

TIME was when families had 2.4 children and everyone ate together. But in the 21st century, things are a slightly different.

There is no one, nuclear family type, and even an acronym like DINKY (double income, no kids) is way out of date.

A new survey by psychologist Dr Chris Steele found there are a number of new family 'types' emerging in our society - and how people spend their leisure time is now the key, defining factor in who we are.

There are those who spend most of their free time in front of the TV (Easys), families who get involved in good causes (Good Intenders) and those who love their hi-tech gadgets (Techies).

For Newport councillor Matthew Evans and his family, their category is Fit and Fun- Lovers - people who like to spend their time on healthy leisure pursuits and having a great time.

Matthew, 40, his wife, Tina, and their two daughters, Jessica and Bethan, are a busy family - but find time to spend with each other and their four-year-old dog, Lucy.

Tina, 41, is a regional director of a cost consultants in Cardiff, and Jessica, eight, and Bethan, nine, attend Clytha Primary School.

For the family, who live in Preston Avenue, Newport, holidays and time away as a family are important for them.

Tina says: "We have a caravan in West Wales and we enjoy spending time down there. We can go and just relax, read and play games.

"It is important and the girls have space and more of a sense of freedom. "We enjoy holidays, and they are important because all four of us are busy during the week and at weekends there are always things to do.

"So it is good to get away where the pressure is off and we can spend time with each other, and we are lucky that we can do it."

After busy days at work and school, the family enjoy many leisure interests both as a family and on their own.

Matthew is captain at Stow Park Tennis Club and enjoys going to the gym, Tina is up at 6am most days to walk the dog, and also at weekend they may walk the dog with the children in Tredegar Park.

Bethan has piano lessons, Brownies, swimming and karate, while her sister has Brownies and swimming, and is starting guitar lessons soon.

Matthew says: "We don't watch a huge amount of TV as a family. I have meetings in the mornings and evenings, so I may see a couple of hours late at night."

Tina adds: "The girls may watch half an hour of TV before school and a little after school, and they are busy with activities.

"As a family we tend to have home-cooked meals as opposed to takeaways, and the girls now start helping me out with dinner, and they enjoy doing that."

Bethan says she enjoys holidays: "I like going to theme parks like Oakwood when we are on holiday, and going on all the big rides."

Although they seem to be ideal for the Fit and Fun-Loving category, the family say they don't fit nicely into one of the five boxes created by Dr Steele's research.

As a family they lead busy lives, and leisure activities are important to the family, and spending time together, but Tina says: "We are probably a mix of many different ones."