A cheery smile, a jaunty hat... the pose that growers trusted

At the age of 80, he's still in business as an agricultural seed specialist from his home in Claines.

He's the oldest licensed seedsman in Britain and, with such an appropriate surname for a man in his line, Geoff is proud to look back on a business of his own which has bloomed and blossomed for almost 40 years.

For decades too, his face beamed out every week from the pages of Berrow's Worcester Journal with his eye-catching display advertisements in the world's oldest newspaper.

His cheery smile and jaunty hat were soon familiar to readers, who also came to know well his trading slogan - "The Man and the Seeds You Know You Can Trust".

The pipe dangling from his mouth was another distinctive trademark, but he had to give up smoking in the 1980s after a bout of angina.

Geoff says he is not necessarily still in business by choice. "My remaining 15 or 20 customers simply won't let me retire! They keep telling me: 'We appreciate your service, and you know your job so well after all these years'. "

He deems it a privilege to have been involved in the agricultural scene in the county for much of his life. "Worcestershire has some damn good farmers, and I have had happy times serving them."

Geoff was in the news in 1967, when he voluntarily spent several days at the western end of Worcester Bridge manning a disinfectant "pad" during that year's major foot-and-mouth epidemic in Britain. All traffic had to drive through the disinfected bales of straw he kept replenishing. The Worcestershire branch of the National Farmers' Union presented him with a silver cigarette box in recognition of his sterling work at the bridgehead.

For 25 years, Geoff was also honorary secretary of the Worcestershire Grassland Society, and with farmer friend Noel Griffin, formed the Worcester Company of Archers. Geoff and his wife and two daughters were among the dozens of members of this organisation who enjoyed years of archery, though, sadly, the group no longer exists.

Geoff stressed to me that country life was very much in his blood from birth. His father, John Budd came from farming stock and was originally a waggoner at Upper Sapey, while his mother, Elizabeth Skyrme was "born and bred" in the Tenbury Wells area. Happy boyhood holidays for Geoff Budd were spent on the farms of relatives.

Police constable John Budd served in the Worcester City Force for more than 30 years until retiring in 1945 and was, according to son Geoff, "very popular with the general public and one of the few local bobbies who knew how to control the legendary Naughty Nora.

"My father loved nothing better than returning to his rural roots by going out into the countryside shooting or netting rabbits and enjoying other outdoor pastimes. He had several well-known friends in business in Worcester, who liked to accompany him on such outings, and I also loved to go with him."

Geoffrey Budd was born in October 1921, the youngest of the five children of John and Susan Budd, who were then living in Leicester Street, off Hebb Street, Worcester. "Whenever I played out in the street I always had to on my best behaviour because my father was a policeman!"

Geoff went to the St George's School in Barbourne ,where the much-respected headmaster was Bertram Brotherton, "a very strict disciplinarian." Bertie Brotherton became an alderman and Mayor of Worcester. Geoff also sang in the St George's C of E Church choir.

He later passed an examination to win a place at the Victoria Institute where he studied until 1936.

Then, for the next 20 years or so, Geoff had a "varied" working life, moving from job to job.

"People wondered if I was ever going to settle down to a particular career but, looking back on my life, I'm convinced each different job I did bettered me, and I eventually realised that selling was the thing I enjoyed most and was best at."

His first job at 16 was as a shorthand and typing clerk with the Pearl Assurance Company offices at The Cross, Worcester - a post which gradually brought him into contact with the girl who was to become his wife - Laura Hughes. She was then a shop assistant at the Cadena Caf, almost directly opposite the Pearl Assurance Offices.

However, the office job as a clerk didn't suit Geoff and he went next to be a shop assistant at Russell & Dorrell in High Street, working under the watchful eye of Jack Bache. Holding a driving licence from 1938, Geoff also helped out with deliveries by van.

In fact, it was while out delivering that Geoff's interests turned to engineering, and he found a job as a motor mechanic at Barkers Garage in Lowesmoor, Worcester, where the MD was Dick Blakely "who insisted that the workshop floor should always be spotless. My tutor was Jack Westwood, who taught me the tricks of the trade."

Even so, Geoff had still not found his working niche in life and decided to pursue a boyhood ambition to follow in his father's footsteps. He joined Birmingham City Police in 1940, but within months, it was discovered he had hearing problems due to a perforated ear-drum. This led to his discharge from the police and return to Barkers Garage.

However, within a year, his ear problems had responded to treatment and he was able to re-join the police, this time with the Kidderminster Borough Constabulary. By sheer coincidence, he became PC No.28 - exactly the same number his father had throughout his time with the Worcester City Force!

Geoff's parents were then living in Sunnyside Road, but later moved to Old Northwick Lane.

The year 1942 was to be very significant one for Geoff. He married Laura Hughes in April and, in August, received his call-up papers for wartime Army service, largely with the Royal Artillery. His training at Barkers Garage stood him in good stead and he qualified as a heavy vehicle driver-mechanic, being based around the country.

For a time he made sure Searchlight vehicles were kept in tip top condition, and he vividly remembers being in "Doodle Bug Alley" and watching the "truly amazing feats" of courageous Polish pilots with the RAF, who flew alongside the flying bombs and tipped them over and off-course with their wings.

Geoff had a close escape from death during his Army days. He was driving a lorry towing a 15-ton gun down a very steep hill near Great Barr, Birmingham, when the brakes on the gun carriage failed. His desperate manoeuvres ended with the gun jack-knifing and straddling a canal bridge parapet with a 100ft drop on the other side.

On de-mob, he returned to the police at Kidderminster but soon again realised it was not the job for him. He left and joined what was called the "War Ag," transporting German prisoners of war from their camp at Perdiswell, to work at Kempsey Common and, in the winter of 1947, to move snowdrifts at Clifton upon Teme.

Geoff's next move was to set up on his own as an agricultural contractor, and he was taught how to plough by a champion ploughman.

He diversified by selling oil to the farming community and garages, but he later gave up his business, joining M & M Coaches of Kidderminster, as company secretary. He also enjoyed driving the firm's coaches and organising farming trips.

His next career move was to become accountant at the Barneshall Garage in Bath Road, Worcester, which was owned by Vernon Turner, of bowls fame, and his wife Mary. Geoff also helped in the sale of heavy vehicles and marine engines.

Then, in 1957, came a fateful crossroads in Geoff's working life. He was recommended by a close friend, Bill Billingham, to join Dunns Farm Seeds of Salisbury, then Britain's largest seed-house, and he immediately got a job with them as a travelling rep.

"Another chap called Arthur Rose started on the same day as me which caused quite a laugh with the firm in having two new seedsmen - Rose and Budd."

Dunns Seeds had some famous names in its ranks at the time, including world seeds expert Sir George Stapledon and broadcaster Ralph Whiteman.

As a Dunns' rep, Geoff began making many friends in the farming community in Worcestershire and other parts of the Midlands but, after only a few years, his employers merged with other companies to become NFU Seeds Ltd.

Geoff became Worcestershire distributor for this big organisation and, in 1963, set up his own business as Geoff Budd & Co., agricultural seed specialist. First of all, he had to go to the Plant Royalty Bureau in Cambridge to obtain a licence as a seedsman. It was numbered PRB 43 and currently confirms that he is the oldest surviving seedsman in Britain, the licence numbers now being around PRB 3000.

His vans were soon to be seen on the roads of the county as he went out serving a large number of farmers in Worcestershire and Warwickshire.

Those familiar advertisements also started appearing in Berrow's Journal for "The Man and the Seeds You Know You Can Trust."

Geoff says he never had cause to regret placing all those adds in Berrow's. They won him instant recognition with farmers.

After his many and varied jobs up to then, Geoff had at last arrived at his true vocation - serving the farming community. The call of the land had proved irresistible.

Family homes for Geoff and his wife Laura and two daughters Susan and Dinah had been in Beckett Road, Worcester, and then in a black and white property with nearly three acres of land - The Leys in Dilmore Lane, Claines.

It was for about 20 years that he carried on his business from this base before moving in 1991 to his present bungalow home at Jacob's Ladder, Claines.

At the start, Geoff mixed seeds in his garage at Beckett Road with the help of his wife, but this commercial activity in a residential area brought a complaint from a neighbour and prompted the family's move to Claines.

Later, he developed his own range of Starcrop Quality Seeds and was made a Fellow of the National Institute of Agricultural Botany.

Among Geoff's customers down the years have been a number of millionaires including Hugh Sumner, one time owner of Typhoo Tea, and John Bonham, the drummer with rock band Led Zeppelin. Geoff also supplied seeds to the stately home, Ragley Hall.

Back in 1957, Geoff, then a member of the Piers Plowman Archery Club of Malvern, decided with farmer friend Noel Griffin to form the Worcester Company of Archers.

He became hon. secretary and Noel Griffin chairman. The club used the former Royal Porcelain ground opposite The Raven in Droitwich Road, and enthusiastic members included Geoff's wife and daughters.

In 1963, Tim Angelbeck - now agricultural correspondent for Berrow's Journal - formed the Worcestershire Grassland Society, and Geoff, a founder member, later became its honorary secretary for 25 years.

"The society turned out to be a great success, having a marked impact on grassland development in the county, and the job gave me great satisfaction," said Geoff.

During the foot-and-mouth epidemic of 1967, Geoff was serving as a trade member on the county NFU Executive Committee and immediately volunteered to man the disinfectant "pad" on Worcester bridge.

"I had the help of several other reps, not least Jim Neath of Hallow, and was later presented with a silver cigarette box by the NFU Executive."

Sadly, Geoff is the only survivor of the five children of John and Elizabeth Budd. Eldest brother Jack was in charge of Collins' factory in Sebright Avenue, Worcester, during the war, making parachutes, but became a farmer, first in Northwick Lane and then at Little Monksfield Farm, Newland, Malvern, where he was succeeded by son Graham.

Geoff's sister Betty (Mrs Moore) was a doctors' receptionist, while brother, William Budd was a solicitor, first with Gabb & Pittaway of Droitwich and then with Morton Fisher.

Geoff's other brother Richard, who died only this year at the age of 87, was an extremely accomplished ceramics artist, originally joining the Worcester Royal Porcelain company from school. Harry Davis, perhaps Royal Worcester's greatest ever artist, took Richard under his wing.

However, Richard Budd went freelance in 1932 and began having his work distributed all over the world, his clients including the Royal families of this country and the Netherlands and the Coalport company.

Tragedy struck Geoff's immediate family five years ago when his elder daughter Susan died suddenly at the age of 54, leaving a husband, Geoffrey Sebright, manager of the Littleton & Badsey Growers, a son and two daughters.

Geoff's other daughter, Dinah - "mad about horses from the age of three" - is actively associated with the world of dressage in the Midlands and surrounding counties, with considerable success over the years.

She is chairman of the Worcester Riding Club and is a local government officer, working with computers for Worcester City Council.

For years, Geoff and Dinah, together with farmer and city councillor Bill Allington, organised the equestrian events at the former annual City of Worcester Show.