I had a CML 109 with a Saito 125a and it flew very well, it would not go vertical but loops were better with diving to get the speed up. Two days later the when the chap started the Morris up one conrod broke and made a right mess of the engine. For his successor he has nothing but the warmest praise: “She’s a charming lady with a wonderful voice, consummate broadcaster and a great sense of humour”.

Robson told the PA news agency that the honour would draw attention to the plight of domestic tourism amid the coronavirus pandemic.In 2011, he was accused of a conflict of interest by anti-nuclear protesters opposed to a second generation of nuclear power plants and the possible siting of a high-level waste dump in the Lake District. But for more than 35 years, he’s been one of the instantly recognisable voices of British broadcasting. Quite a lot of the flat cap and muscle image, of allotmenteering particularly, was very much the case in some places.

The BBC had set up an outside broadcast unit but, Robson says, forgot to hire a broadcaster for the day. But the man who has spent decades clipping his panellists like so many wayward roses can’t resist adding: “I will keep listening.in the old days he was just" Eric"; personally, Just as I was grateful to have had the opportunity of leading him to a love of history, so later I was glad to be able to ask him for advice and information. Next day after replacing the points I suggested we go to Devon for the rest of the time we had left of our summer holidays. He was awarded an OBE for his services to tourism in the 2021 New Year Honours List and he will continue to champion the county’s tourism industry on the national stage. He grew up on a council estate in Carlisle (his father was a fireman) and attended the local grammar school.