IF you're reading this column, it's a fairly safe bet that you have competent reading skills. But imagine not being able to read the written word at all.

This is the problem faced even today by thousands of people in this country, and hundreds in this area. There are many reasons why they have never acquired literacy skills, but the good news is that there are some excellent schemes operating to help adults to read and write.

Bolton Community Education Service, for example, is to be commended for its adult literacy programme. And the BEN is proud to have been a part of that success with our Story Search system.

This is an off-shoot of the BEN's Newspapers in Education scheme, and designed as an all-round reading aid. But so effective has this proved with adult literacy students that a second version is to be created especially for them.

Many students have already benefited from these college classes, and their newfound literacy has changed their lives for the better.

Reading and writing skills are so basic to everyday living that we tend to take them for granted. But we are glad that newspapers like the BEN can directly enhance the quality of life for our readers, giving a practical helping hand in communication for all.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.