JULIE Hilling has waged a 15 year campaign to bring hope for young unemployed people.

She's already been working with Labour Government ministers in a bid to gain statutory funding for the youth service.

Now she wants to be at the heart of government as Leigh's Labour MP.

Julie, national president of the community and youth workers' union from 1991-99, has led a small, unknown organisation to be a significant player in the trades union movement.

Locally, Julie worked at Leigh Youth Co-operative Project with unwaged young people and from 1995 has been youth service co-ordinator for Golborne and Lowton since 1995.

Julie says she saw the devastating effect of unemployment when she arrived in Leigh in 1985.

"Although things have vastly improved from those days, we still have far too many people without work and without adequate incomes.

"As MP for Leigh I would fight to make sure that we benefited from the growing economy with the development of business and industry and improvement in our public services."

And she says she knows how Parliament works and how to fight for ideas that may be unpopular. Opening a constituency office would be a priority "to make sure that I stay in touch with the people of Leigh."

But she says: "The most important job of an MP is to listen to the constituents and fight for their rights. The Labour Government has brought many improvements with things like the minimum wage and Working Families Tax Credit, but we need to make sure that people are getting those benefits."

Vice President of the local trades council, Atherton-based Julie is vice chairman of Worsley Constituency Labour Party and secretary of Hindsford branch. She was a candidate in the 1998 MEP selections and long-listed for last years Wigan by-election.