WHEN he left school at the age of 14, Tony Cornock from Bristol did not think he would be continuing his education 75 years later.

But Mr Cornock, now aged 90, has recently completed an open learning course in gardening.

The retired bus driver did the course with the help of Lawrence Weston Community Farm, where he is the oldest volunteer.

Mr Cornock has lived in Bristol all his life and now lives in Lawrence Weston with his son and daughter-in-law.

He has spent the last 15 months attending the farm on Saltmarsh Drive for two hours a week.

The grandfather of four, who also has a great-grandchild, has earned himself a qualification which involved being assessed on tasks such as seed-sowing and weeding.

It also taught him how to identify different plants, vegetables, pests and diseases.

Mr Cornock started volunteering at the farm last year after his wife Winifred died from septicaemia.

He said: "I thought it would be a good way to get out and about, and meet people. The company is very pleasant there – you couldn't wish for better. I think doing this every week has helped me a little to deal with the loss of my wife, who I miss very much.

"I enjoy a bit of gardening every week, and I do some at home too.

"I'll still be going to the farm as usual, even though I have finished the course, and I'm thinking about doing another course soon."

The farm, a community-managed project, runs Open College Network courses in both gardening and animal care.

Mr Cornock says he is considering the animal care course and also wants to learn how to look after the farm's bees.

Matt Smail, the farm's horticultural trainer, said: "Tony has been a great student to work with and has always been ready to get stuck in to the job at hand.

"He has been a great asset for the farm."

Mr Cornock started work as a bus driver, aged 18, for the Bristol Tramways and Carriage Company.

He was also in the army for six and a half years, serving in Ireland and India between 1940 and 1946.

He enjoys going on trips to war museums and battlefields with the Light Infantry Association, and says his daughter-in-law keeps him well-fed with good food.

The Bristol man said: "I'd encourage anyone to help out at the farm because it has done me so much good and it needs all the help it can get."