A man who had lost hope for his future said he feels he’s been given a second chance at life, after a Norfolk butcher took him under his wing.

This time last year Harvey Boyer, from Hethersett, was unemployed and struggling with his mental health.

Having left education aged 18, he said felt unsure what to do with his life, and was stuck between jobs.

However, his fortunes were changed when he was offered an apprenticeship in butchery by his friend - and now boss - Sean Flynn, who runs the Hethersett Butchers.

Mr Boyer said the opportunity gave him “the key to get started” with his life, as well as a way of securing his future job prospects. 

READ MORE: Small businesses getting big boost under apprenticeship fund sharing

And Mr Flynn, who nine years ago completed the same apprenticeship as his new employee, added that hiring an apprentice had helped him to build the shop because he had "more time to work on the business side".

Theirs isn’t an isolated story.

Ninety companies in Norfolk have taken on apprentices in the past 11 months, thanks to the Apprenticeships Norfolk scheme, which helps larger businesses to transfer unspent government funding to smaller firms to pay for apprenticeships.

Employers including Aviva, Anglian Home Improvements, and Alan Boswell Group - which paid for Mr Boyer’s apprenticeship - have as of this week transferred more than £1m of funding to Norfolk SMEs, a goal that was not expected to be reached until 2025.

Gillian Anderson Brown, HR director at Alan Boswell Group, said: “We are delighted to be able to transfer our apprenticeship levy to enable small businesses who don’t have access to the funds themselves, like The Hethersett Butchers, the opportunity to train through apprenticeship pathways. 

“We’re passionate about training young people across Norfolk’s workforce and have a number of apprentices working in the Group.”