TWO Chorley workers were thrilled after meeting the Prince of Wales as he toured the Leyland Trucks plant last week.

Administrative assistant Mary Beswick, of Coppull, chatted to Prince Charles when he met factory workers and staff during a whistlestop tour of the region.

Mrs Beswick, who has been employed by the company for 12 years and currently works for the maintenance department, was on cloud nine after her first meeting with royalty.

She said: "I'm thrilled to meet Prince Charles. He asked us about our uniforms and whether we like them. I said yes because it saves me having to decide what to wear!"

Mrs Beswick said the Prince was impressed when he heard staff had introduced the uniforms as part of a management initiative to involve employees in decision making.

She added: "If we have an idea we think might be beneficial to the company we put it forward. We thought it would be nice for the ladies in the office to have these uniforms, even though they're not compulsory."

And Martin Pilkington, of Euxton, an option fitter who has worked for the firm for 30 years, said: "It's the honour of a lifetime for him to come and meet the workers. He was asking how long I'd been here and about my family.

"It was quite daunting really, but he's a nice man and a lot easier to talk to than I thought!"

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