THE COMMUNITY of Hag Fold has come together to lead the way for the rest of Wigan.

Long overshadowed by a bad reputation, the decent people on the Atherton estate are fighting back.

They know what they want from their own community. They know what will improve their own community.

The authorities have at last realised that the best way forward for our local communities is to ask the people.

Hours of work has been put into compiling an Action Plan -- a list of things to improve life for all the residents.

And the more affluent village of Standish will soon launch a similar Action Plan to present the two extremes of communities in Wigan.

Then it is hoped that all the estates, villages and townships in Leigh and Wigan will use these examples as a guide to how life can be improved for all our communities.

But after 18 months putting together the Action Plan, Hag Fold residents will now be rightly asking for evidence that things are really happening.

The most important thing after all is not just to compile a list of what people want to happen but whether the wishes of the people to live in a better, cleaner and safer community are actually delivered.