A YORK car interiors firm has secured an order and visit from ex-world heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury - thanks to an apprentice on work placement.

York College student Luke Burnett was taken on by Strensall-based Seat Surgeons four days a week to do the business's social media and digital marketing.

Within five weeks the 18-year-old had secured high value orders, and built up a page for the firm on social media site Instagram, attracting 2,400 followers.

Among those followers was the undefeated former WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, who went on to contact Seat Surgeons to place an order for his wife Paris's car.

Paul Hewitt, managing director at Seat Surgeons, said: "I got a call at 8am, and there was this croaky voice saying he wanted some leather seats for his car.

"Like all inquiries I just took down the details and told him what we could do, and he said he wanted to bring his car to us. He told me the name was Paris and there was no more to it.

"We didn't know what time this customer was coming, so I was on my way back after a meeting in Haxby when one of my guys rang. He whispered down the phone to me 'Paul, I think Tyson Fury is here in the office'.

"There was no missing him when I got there, he is such a huge man. I said to him I think you might be someone famous, and he laughed and said 'yes I'm Tyson Fury'.

"He was so modest and honest, and so unbelievably great with us all."

The 6ft 9in boxer told Mr Hewitt he had contacted the business after seeing some of its work on pictures, posted by Luke to Seat Surgeons' Instagram account.

Luke, who was unfortunately at college studying Digital Marketing on the day Tyson visited, said: "I'd been at college in the morning, and I was about to go and sit my driving test when I got a text from Paul saying that Tyson Fury was in the office. I couldn't believe he was there, and that I missed it too!

"They sent me a picture of Tyson with the team so I put that up online straight away, and we got 500 new followers off the back of that.

"Unfortunately I didn't pass my driving test, but I'm hoping this will look really good on my portfolio.

"People couldn't believe it at college. It was all quite surreal for me, and I was really surprised that it was down to my marketing."

Tyson's order, for Scottish leather seats with a quilted diamond stitched pattern and personalised labels reading Fury, was designed by Seat Surgeons' in-house design team, and is currently being made at the firm's partner factory in China, with Mr Hewitt due to fly out on Monday to check on progress.

After his visit, Seat Surgeons became the only account on Instagram that Tyson followed, despite himself having 360,000 followers.

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Mr Hewitt said: "We have been so impressed with Luke and the impact he has had on the business, that we have taken on another placement from York College.

"They join a fantastic team here that all do a great job. We've had tough times as a business since we started out in 1994, but through hard work and determination we've got back on our feet, and are just delighted to take on an order like this. We hope it's going to raise our profile even further."

As a keen photographer, Luke takes all the pictures and creates the content for Seat Surgeons' marketing.

Beth Thorp, work placement team leader at York College said: "Luke Burnett is a hardworking York College apprentice who, after a successful work placement last year, has gone from strength to strength at Seat Surgeons doing digital marketing work.

"We are so pleased that business sales are increasing for Seat Surgeons as well as social media followers, and that the company has been able to take on another placement student. This is testimony to the value of work placements and apprentices, and we are thrilled that Luke and others will prosper from these roles."