Forestry

There’s more than one way to chop wood, so our would-be lumberjacks are sent on the University of Central Lancashire’s training course in Cumbria under the tutelage of Derrick Byas.

Learning the necessary technical skills to pass the Chainsaw Proficiency Test may seem like fun but there’s a serious message – dangerous equipment and falling trees make forestry one of the most hazardous professions. Can our trainees convince Derrick they have what it takes?

Week two is crunch time – the rigours of working a real estate. The Lowther Estate in Cumbria is a major forest and the trainees spend long, cold hours with their mentor, testing themselves to the limit, from planting to felling. For some, it’s the shock of their lives. But there’s hope too that a brush with nature and praise for a job well done will build their self-confidence and show them a clear path back to the world of honest hard work.