meet the host of glorious eccentrics who have had their peculiar talents added to Guinness World Records

Bertie, a South African leopard tortoise, (left) has raced into the records book by travelling 0.28 metres per second (0.6mph) in Durham, smashing the previous record that stood since 1977. Joining him in the Guinness World Records 2016 edition are Devon gnome-fancier Ann Atkin (bottom right), who has 2,042 gnomes in her garden, and John Evans (top right), who holds the title for 'heaviest car balanced on the head'. There is also a mention for Amateur gardener Peter Glazebrook, 69, from Newark, Nottinghamshire, who holds the record for the heaviest carrot and Purin the Beagle which holds the record for the number of balls caught by a dog with paws in one minute....more pics after the cut





Devon artist Ann Atkin, 78, has a staggering 2,042 gnomes in her four-acre garden. She opened her ‘gnome reserve’ near Bradworthy to the public in 1979. ‘Age doesn’t matter... if you are three, 33 or 93 you can still be a gnome and leave behind any cares or worries of everyday life,’ she says. Ann provides visitors with optional gnome hats lest they scare her record-breaking residents

John Evans, 70, faces little competition in the 33 weight-bearing categories for which he repeatedly sets records. Honoured here for ‘heaviest car balanced on the head’ (a gutted 352 lb Mini for 33 seconds), the one-eyed diabetic — who avoids the gym —explains: ‘I’ve got strong legs and a strong neck’