ANDREW Dunn, 86, a former managing director of wholesale nursery Frank P Matthews Ltd of Tenbury, has been awarded one of the Royal Horticultural Society's highest accolades.
He has been given the Victoria Medal of Honour which is only bestowed on distinguished horticulturists.
The award has been given in recognition of his major contribution to the fruit industry.
From the late 1960s, Andrew was instrumental in improving the quality of fruit trees available to commercial growers, raising the standards and greatly benefiting the whole industry.
He was also one of the founders of The Nuclear Stock Association for Tree Fruits, an arrangement whereby the new virus-free fruit trees, developed by Long Ashton and East Malling Research Stations, were supplied to growers. By the 1970s, the Frank Matthews Nursery was well established as a source of first-quality trees and the reputation continues through its Trees for Life Scheme that guarantees a healthy, well-grown tree with its own passport.
The Matthews Nursery, founded more than 100 years ago by his father-in-law, supplies retail outlets across the whole of the country.
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