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He said: "There are about 150 schemes throughout the world and the BESO's aim is to help out in areas where there is a lack of training programmes.

"Unfortunately a lot of countries, like Moldova, for example, are not keen to train up journalists as although they say they are democratically-led there is still a lot of newspaper censorship and clamping down.

"It is fascinating seeing how other countries live and I enjoy passing on what I have learnt."

Of all the places Arnold has been lucky enough to visit, East Africa is his favourite.

"It would have to be Africa mainly because of the beauty of the Serengeti Plains."

Today, Arnold says he spends most of the time on his other big passion, gardening, but is ready and willing to take the next assignment, when and if it arrives.

"At the moment I am enjoying gardening at my home in Lincoln.

"I am also busy organising a 50th anniversary reunion for my old national service friends which takes place in May.

"And in June I am planning to meet up with the friends I made at university, which is great because I just love catching up.

"As well as doing my pieces for BESO I have also done work recently for a magazine called Oxford Today as well, which is a magazine from my old university."