FOUR graduates who met on their first day at a Southampton factory became firm friends - and held their own graduation mini-ceremony during the Covid crisis.

Two of the group at aerospace engineering firm Leonardo even spent Christmas together with their partners because they were unable to travel to see family.

Project leader George Louch, 24, originally from London; system engineer Tom Doherty, 27, from Southampton; quality engineer Nick Ling, 25, from Ipswich; and system engineer Matthew Cairns, 26, from Fort William, all met at the factory on Millbrook Industrial Estate.

The company allowed them the option of working from home or in the office during the pandemic and they were given the freedom to build in sports activities for their health and wellbeing. They said this had helped them build friendships.

Since they had no graduation ceremonies to go to in 2020, the four held their own home-made ceremony, handing certificates to each other and giving their own speeches.

Matthew and George spent Christmas with each other and their partners in Southampton as they could not go home.

George said: “I think that building trust in your immediate teams stems from the working culture you have at a company. If you encourage your people to pursue a healthy work/life balance, that allows you to build in time for friendships that last. You are going to perform better because you are taking care of yourself as a whole person.

“For me personally, I’ve found that having that flexibility in my daily working life has led to better friendships, and those friendships have gone on to include networks of other people I would never have met otherwise.”

Leonardo staff were also given a benefits package that includes gym membership, discounts on health equipment and a bike to work scheme.

Tom took up the company’s bike to work scheme, while Nick used the discounts to buy equipment for a home gym and George took out a golf membership.

Tom said: “We have found a way to adapt and I think it has been great that we are entrusted to use our time effectively and that has given us a chance to meet up to play golf or take a trip to the gym and that really helps us to enjoy ourselves more.

“Without that, I think we could have become a lot more isolated during lockdown.”