THE idea of a sophisticated dating agency helping local business is one which has a lot of appeal.

These are hard times for many companies as they struggle with the effects of a global downturn and contemplate trouble ahead, particularly in the manufacturing sector.

Bolton Chamber of Commerce was formed in 1887 to help the town's business community protect itself against the external traumas of the day.

Circumstances keep changing -- it is now the Bolton and Bury Chamber, for instance -- but the principles remain the same.

The Chamber was deprived of a major slice of its income earlier this year with the introduction of the Greater Manchester Learning and Skills Council and North Manchester Business Link.

But its distinguished tradition as a membership organisation provides the bedrock for an imaginative new venture -- Business Advantage.

The BEN and it sister paper, the Bury Times, are firmly behind this idea and hope that it receives maximum support from the Chamber's 1,300 member companies and others who see the potential for increased sales, reduced costs and reduced risks.

Linking companies which want to sell with those which want to buy can only help wealth creators in both towns.

The scheme deserves everybody's support. Vision with value SOME of the same commercial leaders who are behind Business Advantage are also involved in Bolton's annual Vision Conference today.

This exercise, which has been running for some years now, demonstrates Bolton's impressive credentials as a "partnership" town.

Representatives from the council, the business world, voluntary groups and others are working together to make things better.

Carly Bateman's murder at the age of 17 -- with little to show in her short life other than drugs and prostitution -- is a stark reminder that social problems continue to run deep in Bolton.

The Vision strategy -- unlikely to be noticed by the majority of people it is trying to help -- demonstrates that there are a great number of concerned people in Bolton who are determined to make a difference.