Success story!

"It must be one of the most profitable long term Lions' club efforts anywhere. We're very grateful to the people of Darlington," says Tom Peacock, a club member for 35 of its 43 years.

To that handsome figure may be added the few bob which the column handed over for Steam to Shildon - photographic memories of the 1975 cavalcade - and for The Footballer's Companion, more of which anon.

There'd been earlier bookshops, sanctioned squatters in surplus shops, sometimes for as little as a fortnight. This one's at the end of a pleasant little arcade, rent and rate free, staffed by volunteers and with books from 20p.

"I think people come to us, not just because we're reasonably priced, but because they can talk to us and we'll listen to them," says Alan Watson, who has some expertise in these matters.

He was national shops officer for Barnardo's - 350 shops, £7m gross turnover, president ("a lovely person") the Princess of Wales. "Some of the other charity shops are now such big business that it's just a matter of in and out," says Alan. "We even have teachers who come to buy books for their schools, because the schools can no longer afford them."

Other regulars included David Green, the botanist and artist recently killed in India. "He'd sit cross-legged on the floor, browsing for ages," says Alan.

For the Lions, charity begins at homely.

Tom Peacock, former North Yorkshire polliss and Co Durham probation officer, now enjoys "privileged member" status - a privilege which doesn't extend to avoiding subs.

"We like to have a quick turnover to get the money back into the community, but perhaps our weakness is that we don't know a valuable book when we see one. There've been some gems; I'm sure people have walked away with real bargains."

They even managed a copy of Spycatcher once, though it had been banned everywhere else in Britain. "Eventually the government changed its mind, politicians usually do," muses retired headmaster and volunteer book seller Geoff Heeley.

There are magazines, too: Readers Digest, inevitably, National Geographic (ditto) and regular demand for The Dalesman, in which Old Amos still holds pocket cartoon court.

"I've never been led into temptation," says Old Amos, "I always find my own way quite nicely."

Only this week, Tom Peacock picked up 100 copies of the Manchester United magazine from a supporter who's emigrating to Spain. That's what this season's done to them.

In suitably plain cover, there's even a copy of Lady Chatterley's Lover - but that, of course, is another story altogether.

l The Lions Club bookshop is open Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday from 10am-4pm. Books can be left then, or by calling 07773 368905 during shop hours.

THE Shildon book is by Reverers Three, which may be a rare example of a tripartite pseudonym.

The Footballer's Companion is a 1962 anthology by Brian Glanville, still crafting, including a section simply headed "Great games".

Geoffrey Green writes on England v Hungary and Blackpool v Bolton Wanderers, indelibly 1953, Roland Allen's 1932 report of Newcastle United v Arsenal is dusted down and there's also a short story length account from the Sunday Times of the 1956 Amateur Cup final, Bishop Auckland v Corinthian Casuals at Wembley

The author, once said by Graham Greene to be Britain's successor to Chekhov, was H E Bates.

"For ten minutes," wrote Bates, "the London amateurs dithered against Auckland's opening attacks like a bevy of prep school boys over-inflated by ginger beer on a wet Wednesday afternoon."

That the final ended 1-1 was partly because Casuals' Jack Laybourne missed an extra time sitter. "Some time in 1984," wrote Bates, "he will probably be sitting in some Orwellian chimney corner sadly trying to remember what happened and 'look upon himself and curse his fate'."

The replay was at Middlesbrough. However prosaically, the Bishops won 4-1.

This week also marks the tenth anniversary of the ordination by the Bishop of Bristol of the Church of England's first women priests.

Among them was Sue Giles, now 45, who after hospital and prison chaplaincies in the Bristol area is now priest in charge of Holy Trinity, Stockton and chaplain to Ian Ramsey school.

"They're lovely, friendly people and it's a privilege to lead them," she says.

"She's a super priest who's doing wonderful things," says Canon Tim Ollier, Stockton's area dean. "She's caring for people, strengthening them, building up a congregation and deepening their understanding.

"If anyone ever doubted that women could be effective parish priests, they need only look at Sue Giles."

More of that anniversary on April 17, when the At Your Service column marks a tenth anniversary of its own.