Liam Pritchard was looking for a vacancy as a farm hand, With the support of DurhamWorks he managed to secure an interview, and then a work trial at Sprucely Farm in Sedgefield.
Michele Atkinson, an Employer Engagement Officer at DurhamWorks first met with Liam in June 2025. Liam had registered with DurhamWorks with the aim of getting help finding employment. It was Liam’s ambition to work a farm, but they also investigated and then applied for an agriculture course at Houghall College.
As Liam didn’t have a CV he and Michele worked on one together they also looked at online courses that could enhance his chances of finding employment, these included “First Aid at Work.”
They also started contacting local farms to see if there was any vacancies available and spoke to Matthew Harris of Sprucely Farm. This resulted in a positive conversation with Matthew as they discussed the farm, arable farming and how the farm has 2,000 pigs. Mathew said he was going to consider recruiting Liam as a farm hand and asked Michele to call him back the following day for his decision.
Part of the discussion with Matthew involved if Liam possessed a tractor licence, which he did not, although he did have a provisional licence.
Liam met with Matthew subsequently started working at Sprucely Farm in July 2025. DurhamWorks have stayed connected with Matthew and Liam as well supporting Liam by arranging driving lessons using the Flex-Fund, as one of Matthew’s conditions of employment of Liam was him to pass his driving test.
Speaking about his experience with DurhamWorks Liam said, “I received so much support and guidance from Michele at DurhamWorks, all of which helped me find employment. I always wanted to work on a farm and DurhamWorks gave me the chance to achieve this ambition with Matthew at Sprucely Farm, and I am really enjoying this opportunity.”
Mathew added “Liam has been a fantastic addition to the team at Sprucely Farm. I would recommend any business in County Durham looking for a new member of staff to contact them. They prepared Liam so well for work and continue to support him now that he has started working here.”