Alastair,
I think u will find it unlikely that anyone in the freight world in UK would offer FREE training to be a pilot.
More likely you will pay your own licences and queue up like everyone else for that flying job.
Freight in UK seems to vary from :
Smaller operators with single fleets, such as Streamline (now part of Emerald Airways at LPL)
Mixed fleet players like Channel Express, where u seem to start on lowish wages and move from F27 to Lockheed Electra to A300 or B737.....
Large integrated operators like FEDEX,DHL etc who operate large aircraft like B757's or larger....... and you need experience generally to get on these.
However, I would not rule out someone like a DHL or the likes offering part sponsorship as the business grows maybe.