APPRENTICE Patrick Hodgson is the toast of his factory after picking up a top award.

Patrick, 20, who works for Callender Aeropart in Clayton-le-Moors, won the Pendhill Trophy for the best all-round apprentice awarded by training 2000.

And his bosses picked up an award for their success in training Patrick, who has been with the company four years and works as a CNC setter and machinist.

He also recently collected an NVQ Level 3 award for machining.

The awards are the latest success for Callender which employs 200 at its East Lancashire site and a further 75 on the Isle of Man, manufacturing turbine blades and vanes for gas and steam turbines.

"We're very busy at the moment with a significant upturn in the aerospace and industrial side," said Andy Nicoll, sales and marketing manager.

"We need a number of skilled and semi-skilled machinists to cope with demand."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.