A FORMER strongman and Olympic shot-putter will be guest of honour at a Bicknacre show, declaring his love for budgerigars.

Geoff Capes, two-time World’s Strongest Man and the most capped British athlete of all time will be guest of honour at the Mid Essex Budgerigar Society Show at Bicknacre Memorial Hall in Bicknacre Road.

He will be present for the competition on the day, judging the best breeders in Essex at the show in September.

Mr Capes, despite his former reputation as a successful strong man has always had a passion for budgies since his father kept them in his family home as a boy.

Mr Capes also feels that in the modern day pastimes such as budgerigar breeding should be encouraged to more young people.

He took this love further after he took ownership of a collection of budgerigars when he was a policeman in Rochester in 1968.

Speaking on the passion, Mr Capes said: “Nowadays people do not ask about how my sporting career has been, they ask about my budgies. I do not think about that too much though, some people keep fish, I keep budgies, I have done all my life.”

During his very successful career, he was also crowned the winner of the Highland Games five year running from 1983 to 1987.

Mr Capes became a competitive breeder during his career as a competitive athlete.

Speaking on the competition taking place at the end of the summer, Mr Capes said: “It is going to be interesting, I think the show was in need of somebody to take the bull by the horns and shake it and give it a new lease of life with a lot of the best breeders across the country coming to showcase their budgies too.”

Mr Cape will be donating one of his birds along with 12 other breeders which he hopes will be a star attraction at the show in the Bicknacre Memorial Hall.

The show will be in its fourth year this year and has been growing year after year.

Last year, 600 entries were made into the event with the final benched figure of 489 going far beyond the expectations of the organisers.

The figure well overshadowed 2015 by over 150 entries.

This year, rosettes and awards will be given in six different groups with a £1,000 total of prize money to be won.

A junior section has also become a part of the competition with the young winner receiving a bird from the Mid Essex Budgerigar Society

The society are hoping it can achieve gold status this year if they are able to bench 111 more birds in the competition.

The event will be on Sunday September 10.