SIR - With the school summer holidays stretching out ahead of us the RSPCA’s Young Photographer Awards is the perfect boredom buster for children.

They could win a brilliant prize for taking a photo of their favourite animal - whether that’s a shot of a snail in the garden, a portrait of the family pooch or a snap of a sheep in a field.

Plus if they are a finalist, they will be invited to the awards ceremony at the Tower of London in December that I am hosting.

I’ve been judging the competition for several years now and it’s always really exciting to sift through the entries and whittle them down to the winning shots.

There are some beautiful photographs which literally take your breath away, some shots which make you see animals in a completely different way and some pictures which just make you laugh.

Don’t worry - you don’t need an expensive camera to take part. If you are 18 and under just get snapping and visit www.rspca.org.uk/ypa for more information about the categories and how to enter.

Entries for this year’s competition are already rolling in thick and fast but there is still plenty of time to submit your photos before the closing date on August 25.

Chris Packham, RSPCA, Wilberforce Way, Horsham