There was widespread admiration and support for the so-called "Mums' Army" when the women of Manningham took it upon themselves to patrol the streets in the weeks after the rioting last July in a bid to curb the anti-social behaviour of children and youths.

Their mission was to bring members of the younger generation into line to avoid a repeat of the behaviour which had brought so much shame on the area and caused so much distress to those who live there. Here were women who cared about their district and wanted to change things for the better.

However, while the wider community generally wished them well, there was concern too for their safety. That, now, is much less of a worry. In the past few months the women's spontaneous campaign has become organised under the umbrella of the SAFE (Safe Areas For Everyone) project. The streets are still patrolled by volunteers, but now they undergo training.

It is good that this initiative is now being acknowledged by the Government with a visit from Harriet Harman, a former Women's Minister, who will meet some of the volunteers and see how they are trained, as well as meeting police and members of the fire service and the Experience Corps.

Bradford has had to take a lot of lessons on board since the 2001 riots. Chief among them is that real change for the better has to come from the grass roots, from the passion of ordinary Bradford people to live at peace with their neighbours in a law-abiding city. The volunteers of the Mums' Army are to be congratulated for leading the way down that road.