WITH Worcester Royal Infirmary in its final days, I reproduce three photographs here of the historic hospital exactly a century ago.

The old postcard views of 1902 come courtesy of my good friend Ron Shuard of Bilford Road, Worcester, a leading collector of stamps and vintage postcards.

He is naturally proud to be the current President of the Worcester and District Philatelic and Postcard Society which was formed in 1967. Ron has been a keen stamp collector since boyhood and, though not possessing every British stamp ever printed, he has amassed "a very fair proportion of them."

For the past 25 years too, he has been an equally avid collector of old postcard views, particularly of Worcester and the surrounding area, and now has no fewer than 2,000 Faithful City scenes from the past 150 years. He is collating these photographs of people, places and events into a Picture Library of Worcester.

Ron is also a long-time collector of postal history and of what is known in collecting circles as "ephemera" - programmes, souvenirs, commercial letter headings, Worcester Theatre Royal posters, hand-written letters, tram tickets, and the like.

Appropriately in his presidential year, Ron has won the top trophy of the Worcester and District Philatelic and Postcard Society - the Dr Wood Shield for stamp collecting. It was awarded to his competition entry of stamps on the theme, Around the World on Eighty Planes. The same display also won him the 2001 Silver Gilt Award of the Three Counties Federation of Philatelic Societies.

Obviously, Ron will be very much in attendance at his society's annual Stamp and Postcard Fair at Powick Parish Hall on Saturday, March 16, from 10am to 4.30 pm - admission free.

"Stamp and postcard collecting has brought me a lot of enjoyment over the years, particularly in meeting people from all over the world and in travelling to sales and fairs nationwide," says Ron.

A few years ago he published a pictorial book Remembering Worcester and, from time-to- time, he gives slide shows in aid of his favourite charity, Cancer Research UK.

Ron was born in Worcester and went to the St Barnabas, St Stephen's and Samuel Southall schools before embarking on a career in electrical engineering. He spent several years as senior charge hand with the city firm of James Ward & Co, and remembers, in particular, working on the re-wiring of the Kay & Co offices in The Tything. He is especially proud that he was able to make the historic lamps outside the building to work again. They were from the Great Exhibition of 1851, and Ron wonders what is to be their fate now that Kay's Tything premises are for sale.

On a personal note, I certainly trust too that the superb art deco Kay & Co sign above the main entrance is to be preserved.

Ron and wife Janet have five children and 13 grandchildren. He finished his working days at Kays.