Since he first started his Saturday job at a local butchers at the age of 14, James Henshaw knew it was the job he wanted to do.
So when the owners of the old Huytons butchers in Aughton decided to shut up shop and retire last summer, James saw it as an opportunity to open a butchers of his own.
The shop on Town Green Lane sat at the heart of the community for over 70 years, and in the space of just six weeks of signing the lease James managed to bring it back to life, with the help of his girlfriend Georgina and family.
The 23-year-old is now in his second week of trading at JW Henshaw and already has plans to expand the business further.
James told the ECHO: "I've had my eye on this place for the last couple of years. I heard they were thinking of selling Huytons and it finally came up on the market.
"The landlord bought it and converted the whole unit into three separate units and I've taken the end one."
James, who grew up on his gran and grandad's farm in Burscough with his family, got his first job at a local butchers in Ormskirk at the age of 14 after doing a week's work experience there.
He left school just before his 16th birthday and went on to work full time at the butchers while doing a two year apprenticeship in the trade.
"It's something I've always wanted to do. I saw the opportunity to get a butcher's shop back in Aughton and I took it."
Despite the decline of traditional businesses like butchers in some areas due to changes in shopping habits, James said it's an important part of the community in Aughton.
James added: "I think it's very important to people especially around this area - people want that extra service.
"They don't want to go to supermarkets and pick up pre-packaged meat, they want to come to a butcher and know what they're buying and that it's been ethically sourced."
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James added: "Of all the customers I've got now 90 per cent are ex-Huyton customers so they're glad to have another butchers back in the village.
"A lot of them are elderly and don't like to drive too far. They can walk here and they don't have to think too far ahead in the week.
"They can come in the morning get a few slices of bacon and sausages for their breakfast and a few lamb chops for their tea and they're sorted for the day. Then they can walk two minutes back to their house.
"We're already looking to expand into a big building at the back of the shop so we have extra room."
