TRADITIONAL rural skills dating back hundreds of years have landed a young North Yorkshire craftsman a job.

Peter Hinchliffe, 20, has become the first modern apprentice in a North York Moors National Park scheme to have gained full-time employment, after being appointed maintenance trainee on Sir Tom Cowie's Murton Grange Estate, at Hawnby, near Helmsley.

He was one of eight apprentices on the scheme, set up to teach young people aged 16 to 24 such countryside skills as dry-stone walling, hedge-laying and footpath building and maintenance.

For the past year Mr Hinchcliffe, of Robin Hood's Bay, has been working in the national park doing field work as part of his training.

On the 1,450-acre Murton Grange Estate at Hawnby, he will help to rebuild some of the 30km of walls, parts of which date back well over 200 years.

"The skills are very historic and extremely important to the landscape of the park," said Derek Cornforth, estate manager.

Mr Hinchliffe, has now completed the final year of his apprenticeship and received his NVQ 3 award.

"I have always been interested in working outdoors especially with my rural background," he said.

Guiding the former Scarborough College student in his new role will be Robert Thompson, the estate's maintenance worker, who will pass on his own wealth of knowledge.

The Murton Grange Estate was bought seven years ago by Sir Tom Cowie, head of the North-East car dealing concern, who is keen to maintain the traditional features of the countryside.

The estate is run for Sir Tom by Mr Cornforth, a neighbouring landowner and farmer, who said: "The skills Peter has learned during his time on the national park's scheme made him ideal for the job," said Mr Cornforth.

"We were looking for someone to work alongside Mr Thompson in the role of an estate maintenance trainee. Peter has the relevant skills in dry-stone walling and general maintenance, gained from his training with the park.

"There is a real lack of basic and traditional skills today and the park's apprenticeship seems to be the only one teaching them."

Mr Hinchcliffe will complete his course while working on the estate.

Richard Gunton, the national park's head of services, said the park authority was keen to hear from other young people interested in developing rural skills, for which there wascertainly a demand.