THE 4,000 young people who have been given shelter with Nightsafe in the past 12 years can thank a fateful council committee meeting.

Not for approving the plans or handing out cash -- but for being a tedious affair which overran into the early hours of a winter night.

Edna Arnold, then a councillor for Livesey and Pleasington, drove home later than she had ever done. Through the darkness she noticed unusual shapes on Blackburn town centre's pavements.

You could forgive Edna for ignoring her curiosity in favour of a quick return to her warm home in Cherry Tree, but she had to investigate. She parked her car and walked towards one shape, which turned out to be a young person shivering on a mattress. Many others were nearby.

Edna was shocked. She had no idea that Blackburn's homeless surfaced in such numbers at night. After speaking to some of the young people, she had an idea. The next night she returned to trawl the town centre and was even more outraged. There were homeless people everywhere -- parks, streets, alleyways and on benches.

She resolved to somehow create a homeless shelter. Councillors, councils, businesses and government were persistently lobbied for funding. Five years later, in 1990, the Nightsafe shelter, in Bridge Street, Blackburn, was opened.

Nightsafe has continued to grow. There is a hostel in Preston Old Road, a day centre in Jubilee Street and the Woodvale Project in Darwen, which helps homeless people live semi-independently.

To this day, she is haunted by that winter night. Edna, mother of two sons, said: "I had always hoped that by the time I went, there would be no need for Nightsafe but there is as big a need now than there ever was.

"More people need a shock to the system like I had. If you were born into this world and no-one cared about you and you had nowhere to sleep, what would you think? There are a lot of parents who don't have a clue how to be parents.

"We know people who have committed suicide. Not enough is being done by authorities to stop it happening. My first consideration is for the young people because I think they have a raw deal."

Liverpool-born Edna May Arnold, 65, is a formidable lady. She doesn't know why the public would be interested in her story and is unconvinced when I suggest she deserves publicity for her efforts.

Commenting on a surprise party for her retirement from Nightsafe earlier this week, she said: "If I had of known, I wouldn't have gone. I am not a publicity person. I just want to know people have somewhere to go.

"I enjoyed the party eventually, but I don't think I deserved it."

Paula Kaniuk, Nightsafe manager, said: "She does it quietly and doesn't do it for glory. She does it because she has a genuine concern for young people. She has had a big influence on Nightsafe after founding it. She has always been there through good and bad times and been a wonderful support for all the staff."

Edna has decided to retire from Nightsafe because she said it needed a younger person in charge.

But despite protestations from Keith, her husband of 44 years, she will not take it easy. She plans to devote more time to another project for homeless young people.

In addition, she will continue to be chairman of mobility group Dial-a-Ride and an independent cell visitor, making sure young people are treated adequately in custody.

Edna also does not rule out a return as a councillor and is defiant after being deselected from the Conservative group in 2001 after 28 years' service. She may also be reappointed a school governor. Edna, whose 12 years as Nightsafe chairman have been on a voluntary basis, said: "I haven't the time to give Nightsafe my full attention. I will relinquish the day to day working of it but continue as a director.

"If you are the chairman you lead from the front. If you do the job properly it will take over your life. I felt I needed a change."

Edna, who has been a nurse and a social worker, said her need to help was a result of her mother's influence.

She said: "My mother was a saint. My father died at 34 and she brought us up. I remember sitting down to Christmas lunch and she found out someone was not having any lunch. She gave them ours then made some more for us.

"The day I stop helping will be the day I die."