ELVIS impersonator Garry J Foley has scooped another international award for his tribute to the king.

Only a year after winning the runner-up title in the officially-backed Tribute to Elvis competition in Blackpool, Mr Foley was again recognised as Europe’s second best Elvis at the European Elvis Championships in Birmingham earlier this month.

The 45-year-old, who has been performing as the rock and blues legend for six years, said he was delighted at the recognition.

“I am over the moon about it,” he said.

“The judges normally look for complete details, for instance I wore the Aloha suit for the contest, made by Elvis’ costume maker, and sung two songs from the Aloha concert, American Trilogy and Suspicious Minds. “You have to get everything right, the voice, the mannerisms, the stage presence.

“It takes a lot of work and it is great to have it recognised.”

Mr Foley, who lives in Creekmoor with his wife Tracy, said he was hoping to win the Europe’s Tribute to Elvis Contest in July this year, a victory which would see him fly to Memphis to take on the best of the US in the Elvis Presley Enterprises Ultimate ETA Contest.

He combines his regular performances, many of which include a live band, with his job at a glass recycling business, and spends much of his free time refining his act and learning new songs.

He said his two children, aged 19 and 20, had mixed opinions about his work. It is Elvis’ music which makes him so popular today,” he said.

“I have been a fan since I was young, and it is great when I am performing to see people of all ages, young and old, enjoying his songs. Often people say they hadn’t realised a song was his. Some people regard it as a job and get tired of it after a while. I only started doing my act as a hobby, and I enjoy it so much I will never get tired of it.”

Visit Mr Foley’s website at elvisshow.co.uk