Farewell to man who helped GROWERS cultivate success
Growers across the South East are bidding a fond farewell to a man who has helped them cultivate success for several decades.
NFU South East horticultural adviser David Butterworth joined the National Farmers' Union in 1965 in Staffordshire, coming to Kent NFU in 1971.
David, who retires this week from his Kent base at Bradbourne House, East Malling, has been a horticultural adviser for NFU for 19 years. He is known to growers of everything from hops and herbs, to chrysanthemums, Kentish cobnuts and kohl rabi in ten counties.
David started in 1971 as an NFU group secretary looking after the members of its Eastchurch, Faversham and Sittingbourne branches. He then became Kent and East Sussex NFU deputy county secretary with a horticultural brief, taking the NFU South East horticultural post in 1989.
Kent and East Sussex farmers and growers were among those saying goodbye to him at a party at East Malling last Friday (April 23). But David is known to growers in many of the South's leading growing groups such as Wight Salads on the Isle of Wight, West Sussex Growers, Secretts Farm in Surrey, the Leckford Estate in Hampshire, Worldwide Fruit in Kent and the former Thames Valley Vegetable Marketing group.
NFU South East Regional Director Shaun Leavey, who has worked with David for 33 years, paid tribute. He said: "Providing an efficient service to NFU members has always been a top priority for David, who has boundless enthusiasm for horticulture. He has given countless hours of his own time to attend evening meetings with growers and he has tirelessly promoted the sector to consumers. We wish David all the best for a restful retirement."
Green-fingered David has worked with a team known as UK Horticulture to design and build award-winning displays for the NFU from fresh produce and flowers at the annual Chelsea and Hampton Court Flower Shows. These stunning designs have netted the NFU team seven successive Chelsea gold medals and six successive Hampton Court golds. The displays, which use NFU members' produce, are then replicated at major agricultural shows across the south, to the delight of show-goers. David's wife Dawn, who works for the Swale NFU office, is part of this crack display team.
David Butterworth's departure will leave many growers feeling that they may no longer hear a friendly voice on the phone when they ring the NFU. But NFU SE Senior Food and Farming Adviser William White, who has been with the NFU since 1987, will be taking on the horticultural brief from the SE regional office in Hampshire.
"David is a hard act to follow but I've had a very thorough induction from him," says William. William will undoubtedly be speaking to David Butterworth in the future as he is likely to maintain a keen interest in all matters horticultural.
David will be retiring to his home in the borough of Swale in the north Kent horticultural belt. He will be devoting much of his spare time to his acre of walled garden - it includes fruit, vegetables and ornamental flowering plants, trees and shrubs.
High resolution photos of David are available from NFU SE PR Officer Isobel Bretherton tel: 01730 408002 email: isobel.bretherton@nfu.org.uk. From Wednesday April 28, David Butterworth is on tel: 07770 814985.
The first shows David Butterworth (left) receiving an engraved silver salver, presented on behalf of NFU members by Kent NFU chairman Anthony Curwen last week
The second shows the NFU's award-winning display at Chelsea in May 2003
The third shows David at the National Fruit Show 2003 at Detling near Maidstone, in Kent
