A quiet town in Lancashire has found itself under the spotlight this week. Rumours swirled on social media about the Radford family’s recent voyage and now, those whispers have reached the courtroom.
The family is well known in the UK for being the nation’s largest, with parents Noel and Sue Radford sharing 22 children.
They’ve built a public profile through their reality show 22 Kids and Counting and social media shares.
Earlier this year they embarked on a massive family getaway to Florida a birthday gift to mark Sue’s 50th, according to reports.
Posts on Instagram showed children meeting Disney characters, while Sue sported Minnie Mouse ears.
The trip was no small feat.Flight costs alone were estimated at over £26,000, on top of park tickets and villa stays, taking the total to around £52,000.
But when the family returned from Florida, legal consequences followed. In Preston Magistrates’ Court, Noel and Sue were found guilty of failing to ensure regular attendance for four of their children between 24 March and 1 May 2025.
They were fined £65 per child, plus £118 in court costs accumulating to an extra £756 tied to their holiday.
A spokesperson for Lancashire County Council defended the decision, emphasizing the link between attendance and academic attainment:
“Ensuring young people receive a good education … is one of our key priorities. Evidence shows that attainment is linked to attendance.”
They also clarified that issuing penalty notices is an enforcement tool available to local authorities when schools request their involvement.
In response, the Radford family has publicly challenged their children’s secondary school, alleging a data protection breach in how the school handled personal details submitted during the fine process.
They wrote:
“Will also be going into details of the children’s secondary school breaching data protection … sharing our children’s details on someone else’s fine form who doesn’t live in our house …”
Many observers note that under the 2024–25 rules, parents can receive a maximum of two fines per child within a three year window.
For the Radfords, the legal repercussions may be modest compared to the scale of their vacation but the story underscores a stark message: even televised families are held to the same laws.
Their $70,000 (approx. £52,000) Disney celebration now carries a courtroom echo few expected and raises questions about where parental privilege ends and legal responsibility begins.
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