Wragby man still feels the '˜buzz' after 60 years' work

John Edwards, 75, started working at E H Thorne (Beehives) in 1958 - and has no plans to call it quits.

He said: “I started out as an apprentice carpenter/joiner at the age of 15 and after 10 years, I started to make beehives.

“A lot has changed, everything was done by hand but now there are machines.”

Mr Edwards has been keeping bees since 1967 and has 10 hives,which are home to almost one million busy bees during the summer months.

He said: “One day at work, Mr Thorne asked if anyone would like to keep bees so they could discover the problems a bee keeper encounters.”

Mr Edwards is also celebrating another milestone achievement - but this one is a little different.

He has been taking photographs for the Market Rasen Mail and Horncastle News for 50 years.

He said: “Photography is certainly a change of pace from the factory.

“I started doing photpgraphy at the age of 19/20. I must have done 800 weddings in my lifetime.

“I will never stop taking pictures.”

Mr Edwards says that retiring at 65 was not an option, so he will carry on going for as long as he can.

And when retirement does come, he will be keeping busy as he has 50,000 photographs that need filing!

E H Thorne Director Gill Smith said: “John is by far the longest serving employee.

“He has been a loyal member of staff and has enormous amounts of skill and knowledge.

“Everyone has a huge respect for him.”

Colleagues and friends, past and present, will be joining together for a party in Wragby later this month to celebrate John’s career.