THE good name of Morecambe has been passionately defended by pupils at a Skerton School.

School children from Skerton High,. who have set up their own mini travel company, were very upset to discover a cartoon in a Bradford newspaper lampooning the resort.

The pupils have been successfully running Cosy Coast Tours for the last couple of years and bringing pensioners from the Bradford area to Morecambe for a week's holiday.

The pioneering scheme has attracted TV coverage and been very popular with the pensioners, many of whom visited Morecambe when they were children.

But the sarcastic cartoon suggested the pupils should be paying the older people to visit the resort. And what made it worse was that the cartoon was in response to a Cosy Coast Tour advert placed in Bradford's Telegraph and Argus. Incensed pupils decided to take issue with the newspaper and have written to the editor to complain.

Teacher Andy Davidson explained: "I had looked through the paper and not seen the cartoon. Half way through the lesson there was such a commotion which immediately had two of the girls typing up a fax to send to the editor of the Telegraph and Argus. In the end they calmed down and drafted out a very good letter which was sent. They were very hurt at the message of the caption, especially as they had just spent two days on the street and in the markets of Bradford selling this wonderful cosy coast holiday package which is their idea."

He added: "The cartoon wasn't funny and seemed to be in bad taste. I was amazed at the girl's fierce loyalty to the resort - even though they are Lancastrians."

In a letter to the editor, pupil Hayley McGinley said: "I don't think it is fair to criticise young teenagers trying to earn themselves good grades and make something of themselves."

But the pupils have had the last laugh. They company has a target of 44 paying customers and so far 37 Bradford pensioners are already booked on the trip.

And in their letters, all the Bradford pensioners say they love Morecambe!

Perry Austin-Clarke, editor of the Telegraph & Argus, Bradford, said: "Our cartoon character Walt is an old curmudgeon. His downbeat views are very tongue-in-cheek and are not taken too seriously by our readers. But we believe in free speech and Walt is entitled to his opinion even though it doesn't necessarily represent the views of the T&A. For the record, we think the youngsters from Skerton High School are doing a brilliant job. I have fond memories of several childhood holidays spent in Morecambe and I'd recommend it to anyone!" Cartoon is the last resort say pupils It's just not funny!