IT’S completely wrong that youngsters on holiday from school this Summer need a free lunch.

At the same time, we need to be very grateful to the charity Urban Outreach and its scheme to feed hungry children. They first launched it in 2014 to help families struggling to make ends meet over the holidays.

From July 25 to September 2, nearly 40,000 lunches will be put together by volunteers every weekday at 7am. They will be delivered to areas with high numbers of children on free schools meals in term-time.

It’s a huge logistical campaign, requiring equally large amounts of time and goodwill, and there is absolutely no doubt Urban Outreach does an amazing job.

It costs around £40,000 with local businesses including Seddon, Keoghs, Asda, Bolton at Home and Barclays involved. It is a worrying sign of the times, but it does show what a caring Bolton can do.