An East Morton man - whose aromatic oils have delighted the noses of the stars - says his fragrant career began with a bottle of patchouli in the 1960s.

Ray Sherwin, who grew up in Lidget Green, Bradford, sold sandalwood oil to Johnny Moore, the lead singer of The Drifters, to help keep sore throats at bay.

And agony aunt Clare Rayner and flamboyant TV host Julian Clary were also on the client list at his former shop Id Aromatics in Boar Lane, Leeds.

"A lot of people working at Yorkshire Television would pop in, such as actors in Emmerdale," said Mr Sherwin, who now runs Hermitage Oils in Main Street, East Morton.

Mr Sherwin's interest in aromatics took him to Morocco and Egypt where he learned from experts.

"I spent a lot of time around the bazaars in Cairo and watching and learning from the top perfume makers.

"But bespoke natural perfume wasn't what the public of West Yorkshire wanted.

"Aromatherapy began to take off in the 1980s and it just so happened that we were there at the right time and moved into that field," said Mr Sherwin, 48.

And as well as supplying individual clients in Iceland, Australia and Spain, the business provides oils for Bradford hospitals, and a number of shops and colleges throughout the country.

"In the past 15 years it's become popular in hospitals and more and more departments are looking at the benefits of essential oils for things like massage and evaporation," he said.

"Midwifery is one area where it is well used, and this month I'll be speaking to Bradford and Leeds students in aromatherapy.

"In France during World War One nurses would burn Rosemary in the wards to kill off germs, there's so much to learn from plants and how we can use them.

"The more I learn about it the less I know and would never profess to be an aromatherapist but do give advice to my clients about different oils and their benefits," he said.