SIX vintage bus tours have been arranged to help drum up support for an historic mill's bid to win £2million in TV's Restoration Village programme.

Higherford Mill at Barrowford will be sending out busloads of supporters to towns in both Lancashire and Yorkshire to win votes when it appears on BBC2's popular heritage programme.

The former textile mill in the heart of the village is one of three at risk' buildings in the north hoping to capture the viewing public's imag-ination when it is featured on TV on Friday, September 8.

Supporters hope to transform the mill into an arts centre with workshop space for more than 30 artists and an exhibition area.

The plans also include restoring the water wheel which powered the looms so that the mill could once again become self-sufficient.

Since it was first announced that Higherford Mill was to appear on Restoration Village campaigners have been overwhelmed by the amount of public support.

A spokesman for Heritage Trust for the North West, which is behind the bid, said: "The amount of support locally has been brilliant and everyone is behind the scheme. Now we need to let everyone know about our plans and to get them to vote for us."

Vintage buses are being provided by the Ribble Valley Preservation Trust and Darwen Tran-sport Museum Trust.

The trust spokesman added: "We are looking for volunteers to join the bus tours. We will be handing out leaflets at all the towns we visitt.

Higherford Mill was built in 1824 making it one of the oldest surviving textile comp-lexes in the area. It closed in 1969 and saved from demolition when the trust bought it in 1999.

An open weekend is planned after the programme is broadcast and should it get the most votes it will go on to the national final to be broadcast in September.

Griff Rhys Jones, Restoration Village's presenter, was in Barrowford last week filming at the mill and the programme's ruin detectives; Marianne Suhr and Ptolemy Dean have also visited the site.

Anyone interested in taking part in the bus tours should contact Pendle Tourist Informa-tion on 01282 661701.