A HEREFORDSHIRE farmer has been busy putting a different kind of pen to use.

John Bishop has lived in Colwall, near Malvern, all his life, comes from an old farming family and is a direct descendant of the eponymous Stinking Bishop, of cheese fame.

The 63-year-old will launch Old Rustic - Rural Ruminations from Herefordshire Volume Two at the Colwall's St James the Great church tonight (Friday, June 27) from 7pm as part of the Colwall Ale House Festival.

Mr Bishop says the event, entitled An Evening with Old Rustic, will be a "bit of fun".

"We were going to do it in the Ale House but it's been so successful we have had to take over the church. There will probably be about 100 people in there."

The book is packed with more than 20 stories of country and village life along with cartoons from Cookies Cartoonery of Ledbury.

Many of Mr Bishop's musings for the first volume were originally penned for his local parish magazine, the Colwall Clock, and the book, which was published by Malvern firm Aspect Design, has gone on to raise about £3,000 for the forces charity Help for Heroes and Colwall's St James the Great church.

Mr Bishop added: "We are hoping to get a bit more than that in this time."

Old Rustic - Rural Ruminations from Herefordshire Volume Two will be available at Colwall General Stores, Ledbury Books and Maps and Aspect Design in Newtown Road, Malvern, priced £9.95.

All proceeds will be split between the Colwall Ale House and the SAS Regimental Association.

Entry to An Evening with Old Rustic is £10 per person, including a traditional ploughman's supper, with tickets from John Goodwin Estate Agent's offices in Colwall.