CRAVEN College's longest serving lecturer has retired after 32 years.

Derek Sheppard, joined the Skipton-based college in 1971 as an agriculture lecturer.

He had special responsibility for running the agricultural engineering workshop on the college's Bailey campus - now the site of Skipton Building Society's head office.

In 1990 Mr Sheppard started lecturing in information technology at the High Street and Aireville campuses and later taught Computer Aided Design (CAD) and worked as engineering co-ordinator.

Health and safety was then added to his list of responsibilities.

Over the years Mr Sheppard has worked under five different principals - George Hothersall, Kate Hillman, Stan Day, Ian Prescott and the current principal, Alan Blackwell.

Nowadays the college has 1,000 full time and 9,000 part-tine students.

When Mr Sheppard joined there were no full time students and the agriculture department was unique as it had four full-time lecturers doing part-time agriculture courses all over the county.

Mr Sheppard added: "I have had three changes of employer - West Riding of Yorkshire, then North Yorkshire County in 1973 then Craven College at incorporation in 1993."

He celebrated his retirement by having a Jacobs Join with members of staff on Friday.

Sadly his wife, Erica, died suddenly a year ago so this changed his retirement plans.

He intends to visit Australia to look up old friends and go to the USA to catch up with a long lost branch of his family which he located on the internet.

Mr Sheppard is also a keen DIY man and hopes to work on his house.

He said: "My wife used to say the only thing I hadn't done in the house was the fireplace and she said I always moaned about that."

He is currently renovating two houses and also wants to embark on a tour of the country in his camper van.

He added: "I don't think I am going to get bored.