A HARWICH man has been named a runner up at the Adult Learners’ Week awards after ill-health led to career switch.

Benson Langley, 58, was forced to leave work as a HGV driver after falling ill and feared he may be left out of work as he had left school with no qualifications.

But he began volunteering at the Harwich Mayflower Project, after a recommendation from his Job Centre Plus adviser, where staff quickly noticed his natural teaching ability.

They asked Benson to begin working as a tutor and encouraged him to gain the qualifications he would need by going back to education.

Benson said: “What I am doing has given me a sense of self-worth both at home and in the workplace, proving that age is no barrier."