Philip Shaw writes; I knew I was on the phone to one of life’s characters when I was greeted with “You may have to edit some of this” in a strong Lancashire accent, followed by a refreshing laugh. Not that I have had to but it was a pleasure to have caught up with Will since he first got in touch with HighGround.

Having gone from job to job since leaving the Army in 2005 and not settling into anything, Will was recommended to get in touch with HighGround. He liked farming and agriculture and the idea of working an industry that he could transfer his skill across to.

“After completing the Rural Week, HighGround gave me a couple of recruitment websites as part of the follow-up. One of them was called Road Hogs who specialise in pig farming. From there I got in touch and because I had completed the course and through the contacts I had made, it opened up the opportunity for an interview with a pig farm in Dorset. I joined them last year and I am now responsible for the artificial insemination”.

We begin to compare life cycles of livestock with other agricultural initiatives and it is clear that life on the pig farm agrees with him. “Even with a surname like mine”. He laughs. “I like the routine, working with a small group, and living together. Which is probably why I settled into this role compared to all the other jobs I struggled with when I came out of the Army. If I had the support that I recently gained through HighGround when I first left the Army 15 years ago, I would have saved myself a lot of wrong turns. The Rural Week changed my life”.