A team of accountants was today bracing itself to deal with a queue of firms hoping to take over struggling Guiseley pram manufacturer Silver Cross.

The team, led by joint administrators John Newall and Hunter Kelly, of Leeds firm Ernst & Young, expects to deal with a large number of calls as the marketing of the firm begins.

And Mr Newall confirmed that Ilkley businessman Michael Whitaker is currently one of the three most serious contenders for the company which has been put into administrative receivership. By the end of today, the team expects to have dealt with a stream of potential buyers for the firm which has made 70 of its 100 workforce redundant and kept the remaining 30 while a buyer is found.

The company laid off its entire 100-strong workforce a fortnight ago but the skeleton crew was brought back in after it was placed in the hands of the administrator. Mr Newall said: "We will have a better idea of the level of interest by the end of today."

The skeleton staff are involved in putting together and selling a stockpile of prams the firm has built up while emergency talks have been taking place over the last two weeks.

Members of the skeleton crew told the T&A yesterday they were ''hoping and praying'' that an 11th hour bid to save the 122-year-old company would be successful but admitted they were worried about their futures.

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