JOHN Worle, who has probably made the single biggest contribution to the development of Herefordshire's cider orchards over the past 35 years, has finally hung up his pruning tools.

Most of the county's cider fruit growers were there for a special send-off for the Bulmers orcharding manager, who has retired after a lifetime devoted to the growing of cider fruit.

Speaking at the event at the new Kinnersley orchard - one of John's more recent successful projects - his boss, general orcharding manager Tim Epps, said that quality had been John's watchword.

Not only did John manage Bulmers own 2,400 acres of orchards across the county, harvesting 538,922 tonnes in total over the years, but he managed the nursery and oversaw the growing of 1.2 million trees.

He played a major role in the original incentive scheme that was to change the face of cider fruit growing in the county for ever.

A Somerset lad, he started his career at the Long Ashton Research Station at Bristol, and later gained experience in the orchards of Coates Cider in Somerset before being recruited by Bulmers orcharding team, then in its infancy.

The restructuring of pruning methods, resulting in much higher yields per acre, was one of his successes.

The award last year at the Bath and West Show of the cider industry's Gold Medal recognised John's outstanding international contribution to growing.

Tim Epps described him as a people person. The respect of the growers for the knowledge he had shared with them for over three decades was evident in the size of the retirement present fund, enough to buy him a farm trailer to help him with the orchard consultancy work he plans to fit in with his other great love, cricket.