A BOLTON organisation is teaming up with the BBC and its some of its most famous TV soaps as part of the country's biggest-ever campaign to help people to read and write.

The Bolton Literacy Trust is joining the BBC's three-year RAW campaign, which is currently establishing help centres all over the UK.

This involves TV, radio and the internet and includes storylines in popular soaps such as EastEnders where cabbie Keith, played by David Spinx, is struggling with literacy. In the Australian series Neighbours, resident hunk Ned, played by Dan O'Connor, is also facing his reading difficulties.

The BBC is to feature relevent themes in entertainment shows, documentaries and discussion programmes and a high-profile campaign to help the UK's 12 million adults who need extra reading and writing skills.

"The RAW ideals exactly reflect what we have been doing in Bolton," said Sandra Telleck from the Literacy Trust here who will act as co-ordinator for the local campaign. "They want to inspire people to take action to improve their skills and provide them with the information and support to do it, and so do we."

The Trust's busy projects involve improving IT skills for all ages, helping parents aid their own children's reading and numeracy skills, helping asylum seekers and refugees, and encouraging creative writing. The Literacy Trust has bases at the Castle Hill Centre and at the Great Lever Learning Centre.

Among the projects already being run are "Care To Read" corners in health centres and events to coincide with World Book Day on March 2. A creative writing and book group will be launched in April. In May, a series of Quick Reads - short books by famous writers like Maeve Binchy - will be promoted and in June there will be a repeat of last year's successful Children's Book Award.

l To information on RAW, log on to www.bbc.co.uk/raw and to find out more about the trust visit www.boltonliteracytrust.org.uk or ring them on 01204-332013.

The trust has strong partnerships with Bolton Council, Bolton Community College, housing associations, ethnic minority groups, local employers and other organisations, including the Bolton Evening News.