WHEN it comes to winning trophies, fighting fit Joe Perera can put Chelsea and Manchester United to shame.
Joe may have turned 71, but when it comes to growing produce he's a truly prolific champion.
He has won the Murray Bowl – the top annual award of Caterham and District Horticultural Society – an amazing 21 times in the past 25 years.
And he scooped four first place prizes at the group's summer show on July 12.
If his infectious enthusiasm is any indicator, he will be a prize guy for years to come.
He has been a regular at Westway allotments in Caterham for the past 35 years, growing a vast array of fruit and vegetables.
Green-fingered Joe can be found pottering away there six days a week from 7am, come rain or shine.
And not even the small matter of an operation could deter him.
Within a week of having surgery on his groin earlier this month, he was back tending his beloved plots.
The father-of-one, who lives in Court Bushes Road, Whyteleafe, said: "I just love it. It keeps me going.
"Allotment gardening is great exercise in the fresh air with friendly people.
"It's so serene here, listening to the birds singing – one of the best stress-free therapies there is."
The ideal environment certainly helps him prosper, it seems. He expects a yield of about 400 potatoes this year. And his onion bulbs resemble small footballs.
Joe's passion for growing first began when he was a six-year-old in Sri Lanka (then Ceylon), where his mother showed him how to grow vegetables from seeds.
Nowadays he produces more food than he and his family could possibly eat.
Much of the fruit and veg is given away to mainly elderly former allotment holders.
Ray Cross, the society's vice-president, said: "Joe's series of wins is an amazing performance.
"He is so enthusiastic and is out in all weathers.
"When he wins the Murray Bowl, some members pull his leg and say 'oh, not again' and 'you must have bought those vegetables from Tesco'.
"It's a nice, friendly rivalry."
