CHARLES Dickens was appalled by the poverty and blighted lives of children he saw in Victorian England.

His way of trying to do something about the savage cruelty and criminal manipulation experienced by many youngsters was to write novels which put it in front of people.

One aim was to open the eyes of the wealthier classes to what was happening all around, but was just not appreciated by those living in their own comfortable cocoon.

We’ve come a long way in the 150 years or more since then…or have we?

Direct references were made in newspapers and on TV news bulletins over the past week comparing the life of Oliver Twist to those of numerous modern day child victims of trafficking and sexual exploitation. Behind every modern Oliver Twist there are also the controlling figures of 21st century Fagin and Bill Sykes figures.

Then also we had East Lancashire health bosses talking about giving free vitamin D injections to under-fives in an attempt to combat a comeback of the bone disease Rickets which was a scourge of Victorian city streets.

A lack of exposure to sunshine and too much time spent sitting down indoors in front of a TV or computer screen is only part of the problem which leads to vitamin deficiency.

There are other countries in Northern Europe which have the similar climates and ethnic population mixes.

They may well have a healthier approach to exercise than many of our families but a major reason has to be diet.

Sadly despite our interest as a nation in TV cookery programmes extolling the virtues of fresh, wholesome food, when it comes to day-to-day living we waste our money on tasteless junk that’s choc-a-bloc with chemical additives, salt and sugar.

When it comes to diet we follow the American route – and we all know about that country’s obesity problems.

Even our motorway services are full of fast food firms (with the exception of a couple of supermarkets now selling real food in takeaway form).

We need to take that extra step, stopping nodding in agreement with what the TV chef is saying and actually get off the sofa and starting feeding our kids real food – for the sake of their futures.

Properly fed perhaps we’ll also then have the energy to banish those who would prey on vulnerable children.