Journalist Ray Vale, who spent much of his career championing British agriculture and horticulture through a range of business titles and newspapers, and his PR work, died on October 14 at the age of 87.
After national service in the RAF, Ray studied for an agricultural science diploma at the Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester. Following a brief spell on a mixed farm, he joined a specialist agricultural PR agency in Kent which saw him work on accounts for various large corporations including Ciba-Geigy, Esso and Tate & Lyle. Attracted most by the craft of writing, he subsequently moved to the Kent Messenger, a weekly newspaper, to work on the farming pages as well as sports coverage.
Following a brief spell as editor of South East Farmer magazine, Ray went freelance in the mid 1980s when he began to forge close contacts with horticulture and the fruit-growing sector in particular. He wrote regularly for The Grower magazine, Fresh Produce Journal, The Fruit Grower magazine and The Vegetable Farmer.
At the same time, he was strongly involved with raising the industry’s national profile while publicity officer for Marden Fruit Show, forerunner of the National Fruit Show, a role he held for 26 years, and the Kent County Show.
His achievements were recognised by the Guild of Agricultural Journalists, who presented him with the Netherthorpe Award in 1998 for his outstanding and sustained contribution to agricultural communications.
Rugby was Ray’s lifelong interest. A player himself at school in Wales, and college, he had a close association with Maidstone Rugby Club, serving as both vice-president and president.
His son Philip said: “He had a massive passion for the horticultural industry and the people who worked in it. He understood its challenges and felt very protective towards it, to the point sometimes of getting angry on its behalf.
“People recognised that in him and even if they didn’t like him they respected him for it and that’s just how he’d have wanted it.”
As well as his son, Ray leaves a daughter, Merrilyn, and four grandchildren.
For details about Ray’s funeral, which takes place on Friday, November 11 at Maidstone, please contact Philip at pcjvale@btinternet.com.