The Seeing Is Believing series of visits by business leaders to local community projects is an excellent idea which in the ten years of its existence must have opened the eyes of a great number of decision-makers to the opportunities available to them to boost the area in which their businesses are based.

The importance which is attached to this scheme, part of HRH Prince of Wales's 20/20 programme, can be judged by the fact that this year's series of events in Bradford was headed by no less a figure than Sir Nick Montagu, chairman of the Inland Revenue - itself a major employer with 2,500 staff members working in the district.

It is vital not only that the people who create the district's jobs meet and get to know some of those who might well end up working for them, but that they also show an interest in grass-roots initiatives which are dedicated to self-improvement.

For instance, a mother of two at the Karman Community Centre, one of the places on yesterday's itinerary, said she wanted to achieve something and wanted her girls to do the same. She surely has a greater chance of doing that if she can meet local business people and find out what sort of things they are likely to expect of her and her daughters.

As Mohammed Shaukat, chairman of Regen 2000, put it, after pointing out the value of business expertise: "If businesses help us, then they are investing in the future of an area and in their future too."