IMAGINE being unable to read road signs while driving, simple instructions or even the front page headline of this newspaper.

Thousands of adults in Bolton today struggle to read and write properly. The basic skills of ordinary life are denied to a staggering number of local people aged 16 to 60 who experience difficulties with literacy and numeracy.

Now, the Government is promoting a multi-million pound campaign to tackle the problem, and it's bound to be money well spent.

As you're reading this now, you will probably take such skills for granted. It's likely that you've been educated to a reasonable level, and that you go through life able to cope with written words and figures and all the daily paperwork.

But being unable to grasp these principles and build on them will have dramatically affected the lives of those who cannot.

People who struggle with reading and writing skills go on to struggle throughout their working lives. Irrespective of the personal toll, the knock-on effect can be felt in industry and throughout the working world.

In Bolton, services for adults wanting to improve their basic skills are co-ordinated through the local Community Education Service (CES). But Nancy Steele, who is in charge of this area, says that they know they are only scratching the surface.

Figures suggest that a quarter of the borough's adult population has difficulties with English or maths' skills. Just embarking on a learning programme can increase confidence and boost people's potential.

For many, the major hurdle is that first step to deciding to do something about this problem. We hope that this new campaign will have the kind of promotion which will really reach those who need help, and that it really does make a difference.