AIRTOURS is the most successful business ever to be launched in East Lancashire. From one shop it has grown to employ tens of thousands of people, taking millions on holiday every year.

And the story of its Burnley-born founder is one of a classic entrepreneur -- the office teaboy who couldn't pass his maths 'O' level but has gone on to become one of Britain's richest men.

David Crossland left Burnley Grammar School with poor O-levels in English, history and geography. He was turned down for a clerical job at the town's hospital before eventually securing a post at Altham's travel agency as a office boy and brochure stamper.

He stayed there for two years before moving on to Central Travel, Burnley. A move to Silverwings in Rawtenstall followed before he returned to Burnley as office manager at Travelplan.

Working behind the counter gave Crossland a valuable insight into what the customer wanted -- and what the industry wasn't providing.

"People would come in and ask if they could go to Malta for two weeks leaving on Saturday and if they couldn't I'd ask myself why not," he recalled.

When the elderly owners of a travel agency called Pendle Travel decided to retire they offered Crossland -- whom they had met during his short career --the chance to buy their shops for £8,000.

He and brother-in-law Tom Trickett borrowed the money needed and took over the business. As soon as they made enough profit from their first shop, the pair bought another and another. By 1980 they had nine shops across the area and Crossland decided the time was right to launch a tour operation arm -- Airtours.

The tour operation grew rapidly and in the early 1980s moved to Helmshore, just a few miles down the road from where it all began.

It floated on the stock market in 1987, providing the funds needed to fuel its expansion, which has continued apace ever since. It now operates holiday companies across the world, has its own airline and is one of the biggest players in the fast-growing cruise market. In 1997 it opened new offices in the Globe Centre, Accrington to house its Tradewinds long haul operator and camping arm Eurosites -- that site is unaffected by the new Rochdale premises.

Earlier this year it dropped plans to bid for rival First Choice in a deal which would have made it the biggest tour operator in the country.

But with consolidation continuing across the European travel industry across Europe, speculation is mounting that Airtours is set to pull off a deal with a major German operator to increase its influence in the market.