ONE is a former policeman. Another is an ex-professional footballer. And a third once worked in the building industry as a quantity surveyor.

Now they have all found a new role in life working to improve the skills of pupils at a Bolton school.

They are just three of the success stories to emerge from Bolton Council's SRB4 scheme.

The scheme is using £1.8 million pounds from the Government's Single Regeneration Budget Challenge Fund for the education and training scheme -- SRB4 -- covering the Burnden and Tonge areas.

Richard Marlow, a 49-year-old father of five from Tonge, is a former policeman and merchant seaman.

He is now working at Withins School in Breightmet as a literacy access officer. He began as a volunteer helping disaffected children with their reading skills. Now that work has turned into a full-time job at the school.

Richard said: "The satisfaction is huge. I have never had a job that I wanted to do more than this one."

He has since developed a 'buddy' system where children work in pairs to help improve reading skills.

Andrew Goldstraw, aged 15, is a reading 'buddy' who said: "I just wanted to be helpful -- that's why I volunteered."

Bernard Lynam, aged 39, was a professional with Bury FC until injury brought his footballing career to an end around 20 years ago.

Now he is working full time at Withins School as a counselling support worker under the SRB4 scheme. Bernard said his biggest satisfaction has been helping a disaffected pupil to get an apprenticeship as a landscape gardener.

"We gave him the confidence he needed and kept him on track," said Bernard, who did outreach work with Preston North End and Everton and now lives in Atherton.

Steve Martin is a 30-year-old youth and community worker for Claremont Church who now works three days a week at Withins School where one of his jobs is teaching advanced computer skills and desktop publishing.

"It is the first job I have had that I feel really happy with," said Steve, a former quantity surveyor who lives in Breightmet.

There are a dozen projects under the SRB4 umbrella, including community education initiatives, books for babies and the volunteer reading scheme. There are also projects which include finding training placements in childcare -- and many of the projects are interlinked.

It is a point taken up by Withins' deputy head teacher, Stuart MacIvor, who said: "We have tried to link up with as many parts of SRB4 to make it an integrated whole."

He said students are now beginning to develop an understanding of how the school is part of a community extending beyond its walls -- and how the school can do things to enhance that community.

Cllr Frank White, Cabinet Member for Social Inclusion and Community Safety, said: "When we received just under £2 million for this scheme we were a little disappointed.

"But it has been such a people-focused scheme that its impact has been equal to if not better than any other scheme in the borough. The focus on training and education and family learning has been absolutely tremendous. And the way the community has responded -- from books to babies to family learning initiatives -- has had a tremendous impact, too."

The SRB4 Partnership includes Bolton Council, private and voluntary sectors, schools, Bolton College and Bolton Bury Chamber. The scheme ends in 2003, but the organisers hope its effects will be felt for many years.