Raymond Vale has stepped down as publicity officer for the Marden Fruit Show Society, a role which he held for 26 years.
A familiar face to all in the horticultural industry, Vale began his career working on a mixed farm in Kent before entering the Royal Agricultural College Cirencester to study agricultural science, where he gained his diploma and membership of the Royal Agricultural College.
After a period in the farming industry, he entered journalism, working for a specialist agricultural news agency and public relations company Agroup Limited. Later, he would work for a whole host of titles including South East Farmer, which he edited, The Daily Telegraph and The Grower for 22 years. He has written regularly for ACT Publishing Limited for more than 20 years and has been a contributor to FPJ.
Vale is a past chairman of the British Guild of Agricultural Journalists and has been a council member for the last 25 years. In 1998, he was awarded the Netherthorpe Award - the highest award for agricultural journalism in the UK - and has won the National Horticultural Writer of the Year Award on three occasions (1998, 1999 and 2002.
Alan Todd, chairman of the Marden Fruit Show Society from 1993 to 2001, said: “I have known Ray over many years; not only did he do a wonderful job in promoting the Marden Fruit Show and later the National Fruit Show, but also in championing the industry as a whole. The growers especially should be hugely appreciative of his consistent work and endeavours for the whole of the fruit industry across the many areas of research, education, production and marketing.”
Robert Mitchell, chairman of the Marden Fruit Show Society from 2001 to 2006, said: “Ray was always a strong supporter of the Marden Fruit Show Society and its events. When I was chairman his wealth of media contacts got me into television and radio studios with access to large audiences, and he achieved superb trade press coverage of all our activities.
“His good-natured, sometimes combative style in committee meetings often sparked great debates and revealed his deep loyalty to the Society. I shall miss him.”
Sarah Calcutt, newly appointed chair of the Marden Fruit Show Society, said: “Of course it will be hugely difficult to find a replacement for Ray as his depth of knowledge and wide range of contacts made him such a valuable asset to the society. Until a new press officer is appointed, press enquiries will be handled by the show office and me, supported by a small team of industry journalists who will be assisting us with the production of articles and releases.”
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