HANDYMAN David Winstanley is proving very popular with Bolton's pensioners.

For David and his team of volunteers are on hand to help elderly people with the smallest of jobs around their homes and gardens.

Age Concern set up the Handyman Service with additional funding from the Bolton City Challenge Community Fund and Bolton Metro after many pensioners were told by commercial tradesmen that the jobs they wanted doing were too small for consideration.

The service was launched a year ago with David working on his own, doing decorating, gardening and small scale repair jobs.

Since then, demand for the service has soared and new volunteers have come on board in the shape of Alan Brabin, Glen Carr and Gareth Tyrer.

The team has completed hundreds of jobs and a waiting list has been set up, such is the popularity of the service.

The City Challenge Community Fund was pleased to back the service with grant aid, and is also helping the young people of Bolton by giving funds from the same resource to the Volunteer Reading Help Scheme.

The scheme sends trained volunteers into junior schools in Halliwell and Bolton so they can spend time with children who need a little help catching up with their reading.

"Both schemes clearly illustrate the main priorities of the fund to improve the quality of life in practical ways," said Jane Leek, one of the fund managers.

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