A POPULAR greengrocer known as a “Whitehawk legend” has died.

Friends and former customers rushed to pay tribute to Terry Swaysland, who was much loved on the Brighton estate.

The 83-year-old ran Terry’s in Whitehawk Road for more than 30 years and was renowned in for his colourful window displays and cheery demeanour.

His daughter Terrie-Marie Ashdown said: “He almost turned into a character when he was in the store.

“He would put on his coat, as he was always very smart, and then he would become Terry from the greengrocer.

“A lot of people would come just to talk to him.”

He took over the shop from his uncle in 1973, having helped out in it since the age of 11.

But running the business wasn’t always smooth sailing for Terry.

His daughter said: “My mum told me he opened up the shop when it had nothing in there.

“It was a shell, except for two sacks of potatoes and a bit of fruit. But over the years he was able to raise a bit of money and do the place up.”

Terry soon had business booming and Terrie, 44, said she remembered queues stretching up the road.

She said: “When I was little I would go down to the shop and it was so busy I couldn’t get inside to see him.

“I would have to wave through front the window to let him know I was there.”

Terry faced challenging times when big supermarket chains began to open up in the area.

But as other businesses in the area were forced to close, Terry’s stayed strong as “loyal customers always came in to see him”.

The store was well known for its colourful shop front which Terry took great pride over.

Terrie said: “He used to do very elaborate displays in the shop and would arrange the fruit and veg in intricate patterns.

“He would shine the apples up so they would almost sparkle.”

He was also renowned for his beetroot recipe, which he cooked in a special “kettle”.

Terry would claim his unique concoction had a “secret ingredient” which remains a mystery to this day.

He retired in 2005 and became “the perfect grandfather” to Terrie’s two children Evie and Darcie, often picking them up from school and taking them to the park, as well as enjoying holidays with his wife of 45 years, Sue.

He died last month after a short battle with oesophagus cancer.

His family want to host a tribute to him on the day of his funeral on Friday, asking old customers to gather at the site of his old shop at 2.30pm to remember that “Whitehawk legend”.