IN THE the past, the father was someone who arrived home from work to tuck the children into bed and acted as the disciplinarian in the family.

They were often distant figures, with most women automatically taking responsibility for family life, while they were given the bread winning duties.

In modern times however, with the birth of the "new dad", that role has now dramatically changed, with many fathers taking an active role in the child rearing process.

The likes of footballer David Beckham, Jamie Oliver, Harry Enfield and DJ Fatboy Slim, are known to play a major part in the upbringing of their children and are held up as a shining examples of this trend.

Yet for those not leading a celebrity lifestyle often the reality is that many fathers struggle to spend much time with their children.

Research has shown that men, while perfectly capable of looking after children, often do not spend a great deal of time with them.

Now a parenting skills project in Norfolk is trying to encourage fathers to spend more time with their children by offering them up to £25 to cover the costs of an educational outing.

The pilot Active Dads Project is being run and funded by the areas Learning and Skills Council with the 34 men taking part, being able to claim expenses for educational activities, like cooking and map reading that they take part in with their children.

While Bolton will not be using a similar scheme, the town has a number of avenues for fathers wishing to spend that quality time with their siblings outside the home environment.

These include Saturday Fathers Together and Farnworth Dads Fun Club, both of which provide a network for fathers and their youngsters.

Set up by trainee social workers Andy Kearney and Donald Gold, Saturday Fathers Together has been so successful that it is already attracting national interest.

It was recently featured on Radio Four's flagship Today programme and the scheme aims to help fathers that have recently been separated from their partners to have a support organisation behind them.

They also provide a location for the fathers to take their children during the time they have access.

The 40 strong membership holds weekend meetings at Wolfenden Community Centre in Halliwell and offers counselling and parentcraft courses at its base in St George's Street, Bolton.

Farnworth Dads Fun Club also offers training courses and workshops but caters for both single dads and fathers who have partners but wish to spend time away from the family unit with their children.

Project manager, Ian Hepplewhite, says: " We discuss with the dads what they would like to do and then try and arrange it for them.

"We entertain but we have also trained some of the dads in computer skills and helped one of them to pass his fork lift truck lift license so he could get a better job.

"Anyone is welcome to attend."

Lecturer in Social Work at Salford University, Geoff Edwards, said the amount of time a father spends with his children can impact their adult lives.

He says: "It is vital that fathers spend quality time with their kids and it is even more important, if they have divorced, that they continue to be actively involved with their children.

"The bond a father makes with his child, particularly a young child will have a bearing on the way that child grows up.

"It can affect everything from the GCSE grades they get to whether they turn to a life of crime."

He adds: "A single father can do just as good a job as a mother.

"All that really matters is whether the child feels secure."

Anyone wishing to join the scheme can ring 0800 386 2609 or visit the website which is at www followed by saturdayfatherstogether.com

The Farnworth Dads Fun Club can be contacted on 01204 336212.