WITH reference to your story (LET, July 23) headlined "Fines for Holiday parents."

The difference between booking a holiday the week before or the week after a major school break can be as much as half, and in many cases it may well be the only chance that a family has of being able to afford to go away.

Putting this point to one side the other thing is we must be concerned that the students education will not suffer.

But surely travel and visiting different countries and seeing diverse lifestyles will broaden a child's outlook for the rest of his or her life.

Also without television, computers, and the games that go with them, a family will further bond together even though it is just for two weeks out of the year.

Also what is the difference between taking time off for a child to go on holiday and, over the year, the same kind of time is lost with teacher training days?

Coun ROY DAVIES, Olive Lane, Darwen.