SIX talented apprentices who were chosen out of 300 applicants welcomed a site visit by Chancellor Rishi Sunak.

Mr Sunak visited Broadacres and Hartforth Homes’ development in West Witton in his Richmondshire constituency to speak to the youngsters about their training which is funded through the government's Apprenticeship Levy scheme.

Broadacres’ chief executive Gail Teasdale said they were 'delighted' by the visit.

She added: “We recruit apprentices every year and we were not about to let the Covid-19 pandemic prevent us from doing this again, so we made tweaks to the recruitment process, including carrying out virtual assessments, and this resulted in us receiving 300 applications in just two weeks.

“It was very difficult choosing the six successful apprentices, but we couldn’t be happier with the people we did select, who have made a fantastic impact at Broadacres.”

Mr Sunak said: “I applaud Broadacres’ commitment to bringing young people into work through apprenticeships, growing their own talent to work on much-needed housing schemes like the West Witton development and gaining qualifications while doing so."