I WAS pleased to see recently that Bolton's award winning School Meals service has been acknowledged as offering the cheapest school meals for primary school children anywhere in the country.

Since September 2011 the cost of a school dinner for children of primary age has stayed at £1.25 a day with some families in difficulty able to apply for free school meals.

No one should underestimate the value of affordable and healthy school dinners. As reported recently we have a great many people in Bolton who are on low pay. With many families struggling to cover household bills and make ends meet, an affordable mid-day meal for our youngsters is a real lifeline. Another important factor is growing concern about levels of sugar, salt, fats and other additives in fast food and fizzy drinks. It's good to know that Bolton's School Meals Service work hard to ensure that school dinners are not only affordable but also healthy and nutritional. With so much advertising of leading high street take-aways it is important that children get into good eating habits at an early stage.

Bolton School Meals service provides around 15,000 meals each day to 96 primary and special schools across the town. It is worth pointing out that it tries as much as possible to source supplies from Bolton and the surrounding area, this helps to benefit jobs and the local economy.

We all like to complain about things we are not happy with and that is certainly the value of the Bolton News letters page. However we should also give credit where credit is due. Well done to everyone involved with Bolton's popular and successful school meals service. More information is available about Bolton's School Meals Service is available on the Bolton Council website.

Joan Pritchard-Jones

Bolton