Will Hotchin comes from a long family line of carpenters stretching back to his grandfather. What made him want to carry on the tradition, we asked? “I really like hands-on practical work. I enjoyed doing Design Technology at school and they also gave us a taster session on the trade. Sometimes I would go along with my Dad if he went on site visits at weekends, so I had a good idea what it was like to be a carpenter and what I might learn at college,” he says.
Like Will, both of his brothers also trained at Sheffield College. What does he enjoy the most about his Site Carpentry course? “I like getting stuck in with the workshop sessions. I really enjoy it, whether we’re doing first fix or second fix, it’s all interesting. I especially like roofing: it’s great fun, whether you’re using trussed rafters or even better, cutting hips and dormers.”
At the moment Will is an apprentice in the family business, Leda Joinery, but what about the future? “I’d like to work with my family at least to start with, then who knows. One day I might end up running my own business,” Will says.