Heckfield brothers to appear in Be Your Own Boss ITV series

George Sheppard, 19, and his brother Zac, 15, from Heckfield, started making ceramic bird feeders to pass the time during the Covid-19 lockdown in March 2020.

The lads, then aged 15 and 10, were given an "alternative" education by their father Matt, who runs his own ceramic studio in Reading and got them "playing with clay" at their old home in Rotherwick.

Since then, the family has moved to Heckfield, and their business, The Bird Boys, has gone from strength to strength, and the brothers are due to feature in the ITV series Be Your Own Boss with Holly Tucker MBE.

George and Zac Sheppard are The Bird Boys (Image: The Bird Boys)

"It started because in Covid, I was bored working in a pub as a pot washer, aged 13 years old, and I wanted to make some money," George said.

"My dad is in the ceramic industry, and I got him to teach me, and I thought that bird feeders would stand out the most.

"We put them on our trees, and passers by asked about them - my first sale was actually to a complete stranger."

Working as a team, the brothers use a traditional slip casting method, pouring liquid clay into hand-made moulds before firing them in a kiln to create their bird feeders with a unique teardrop design. Find out more by visiting: www.thebirdboys.co.uk/

George explained that they initially had some teething problems with getting the timings right, and he would "wait until the end of the day to check, just to avoid disappointment. Minor differences of just 10C will make all the difference

"Five years down the line I've perfected the designs," George added, "but it was a steep learning curve.

"This way of making ceramics is going extinct, but it is perfect for my bird feeders."

The Bird Boys are appearing on Be Your Own Boss (Image: The Bird Boys)

The Bird Boys has been on the radar of presenter Holly Tucker MBE for quite a while, having previously been approached to sell their products on her websites Not On The High Street and Holly & Co - opportunities they turned down due to the companies taking a larger cut of the profit.

When Holly became aware that the production company for Be Your Own Boss got in touch with The Bird Boys, she fast-tracked them to appear on the show, avoiding the interview process altogether.

George said: "I'm heavily dyslexic so my mum proofreads my emails and one day she said 'do you want to be on TV?'

"I said 'yeah why not'.

"Her [Holly] recruitment mentioned me to her and she hyped me up, we skipped the whole interview process."

Be Your Own Boss is an ITV series helping up-and-coming businesses develop and grow using her own experience and expertise.

The Bird Boys will appear in an episode on ITV 1 at 1.15pm on Sunday, November 9.