BAFC
Hi
All sound advice here. I've heard the BAFC are really good, but I don't think there is any advantage in doing your PPL there rather than somewhere else. They are quite a separate entity from the airline and won't necessarily be the cheapest option. Keeping the cost down is very important in this game. As for whether to do a PPL or not, I would advise that if you can afford the £5-6K it will cost you, plus the cash to stay current (1 flight per month thereafter), then it's better to do it than not. Just take your time and keep your hours low until you get some luck with sponsorships. Normally you're OK until you hit 80 hours, so if you spread your PPL training over a year, then you've got a good 2-3 years before you will have to worry about having too much flight time.
Best of luck!