IMPROVEMENT in school sports facilities is something to be welcomed by us all.

It is good news that £3 million has been allocated to Bolton Council from the Lottery-funded New Opportunities Fund.

According to Cllr Linda Thomas, the council's Executive Member for Education, the extra money will be used to refurbish school sports halls and build new ones.

The council now plans to consult with schools and interested parties to produce a development plan which will put the money to the most effective use.

It would be nice to think that this extra cash -- coupled with sporting enthusiasm generated by next year's Commonwealth Games in Manchester -- could help create a generation of super-fit young Boltonians destined for the national football, cricket, athletics and rugby teams.

Unfortunately, there are other factors at work in today's society.

Many young teenagers enjoy less demanding recreational activities such as watching television, playing computer games, messing with mobiles and hanging about in bus shelters.

Teachers do their best, but pressure to meet government-imposed academic standards often affects the amount of time and effort which can be devoted to honing sporting prowess.

A shortage of male teachers in primary schools does not help either.

The new money for sporting facilities is to be welcomed and it is a good thing that the halls at some of Bolton's schools are available for community use.

Considerable efforts to promote sporting excellence are made by various council departments and there is a rich amateur tradition in Bolton which takes in sports like cricket, football, rounders, badminton and table tennis.

But getting the message over to all young people that exercise is actually good for them is no easy task.

The revelation in tonight's BEN that there has been a massive increase in heroin use on Bolton's streets over the past two years is extremely depressing.

Police say the people they arrest in Bolton tend to be aged between 21 and 35 -- a period in life when sporting skills learned at school can become extremely satisfying and beneficial.