PHILIP Hilton was determined not to follow his parents into the mill when he left school. An ultimatum from his father - "If you can find yourself a job, you won't need to go into the mill" - spurred him into action.

With the help of his mother and a family friend, he was offered an apprenticeship at East Lancashire Coachbuilders in 1960 and the rest, as they say, is history.

Today, Philip is joint manager director of the Blackburn-based company which is now one of the UK's leading bus manufacturers.

In the New Year Honours List, he was awarded the MBE for his services to the bus industry - an achievement he could never have expected when he started work at the age of 14.

"I actually started as an apprentice coachbuilder two weeks before my 15th birthday, but at least it kept me out of the mill," he recalled.

At the age of 18, he talked the management into letting him work in the drawing office as a junior draughtsman. After becoming chief designer in 1985, he took charge of production and joined the board in 1988, becoming joint managing director in 1990.

East Lancashire Coachbuilders was first established in 1934 at Brookhouse Mill, Blackburn.

Founder Walter Smith was joined in 1938 by Alfred Alcock and Arthur Danson who established the company's reputation for bus building.

After the death of Walter Smith, the business became part of the Sheffield-based Cravens Industries in 1964 which was subsequently taken over by John Brown and Company in 1968.

In 1987, East Lancashire Coachbuilders became part of the Trafalgar House Group and the following year it changed hands again, sold to the Drawlane Group which later became British Bus.

In 1994, Philip Hilton co-ordinated the company's move from its original premises at Whalley New Road to the Whitebirk Industrial Estate. With the new factory came new designs and business was booming.

Within two years, however, the company was facing a crisis. British Bus was bought by the Cowie Group in August 1996 and, within two days, the new owners had cancelled all its orders for buses from East Lancashire Coachbuilders.

"Overnight, we had lost all the work that had been scheduled for the rest of the year," said Philip. "I tried for days to ring directors at Cowies, but no one would speak to me. It was a nightmare at the time.

"I contacted friends in the industry and some of our customers brought forward orders and others gave us refurbishment work to help see us through.

"Dennis provided eight chassis and deferred payment until we had sold the completed buses. We managed to pull through without making a single redundancy.

"You look back sometimes and you wonder how we did it. You certainly find who your real friends are."

The company's bankers, however, definitely did not fall into that category. East Lancashire Coachbuilders was still losing money and the bank sent in a consultant from Arthur Andersens.

"This little upstart from Australia came in to do an overview of the company and told the bank to pull the plug on us straight away," he said.

In desperation, Philip went to Blackburn Town Hall to see the then council leader Malcolm Doherty who contacted MP Jack Straw who was then Home Secretary.

" I had never met him before and, to be honest, I did not think much of him or his politics. I didn't think he would do anything for the company, but it all goes to prove how wrong you can be.

"He rang me at home and I explained how 200 jobs were about to go in his constituency. Two days later, he telephoned again with a message I will never forget: 'Philip, the dogs are off.'

"He had spoken to the chairman of the bank and the company was given 12 months to sort out its finances."

Today, East Lancashire Coachbuilders employs more than 300 people, producing an average of six buses a week for customers in the UK and abroad. It currently has orders for Paris, Barcelona, Madrid, Cannes, Guernsey, Copenhagen and the Netherlands.

The company also runs S & T Coachbuilders at Appleby Street, Blackburn, which specialises in repair and refurbishment. A joint venture has recently been signed with a company in Donegal which is building buses under licence.

" I have been here for 43 years now and I still enjoy my work," added Philip. "We have a great team here that prides itself on delivering a quality product and the highest standards of customer service."