Schoolchildren face losing sign2sing Guiness World Record
By Shanna McGoldrick
Manchester sign2sing Guinness World Record breaking schoolchildren are in danger of having to forfeit their title.
The event, which was organised by the charity for Deaf people SignHealth, saw 130,000 children smash the record for the largest number of people singing and signing a song simultaneously.
However, due to the fact that several schools have yet to return their witness statement forms, the title is in danger of being lost.
Steve Powell, CEO of SignHealth, said: “We need the witness statement forms to send to Guinness so they can officially confirm we have broken the world record. It’s vital we have these or all the children’s hard work won’t count.”
An estimated 130,000 school pupils nationwide took part in the ‘sign2sing’ World Record event in February, including thousands from schools in Manchester.
Under the Guinness World Book of Records rules, each school must submit a witness form before the end of March so that the number of pupils who took part in the event can be officially validated.
Yet despite the administrative issues, the event has proved so popular with pupils that over 100 schools have already registered to take part in 2013, SignHealth confirmed today.
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Deborah Leigh, Music Co-ordinator at The Birches Specialist Support Primary School in Didsbury for children with learning difficulties, said that although it would be ‘a shame’ if the record was not officially achieved, the focus of the event was to raise awareness of people with hearing problems.
“Children like to help other people”, she said.
Mrs Leigh added the event had been ‘a fantastic experience’ for the 58 staff and pupils at the school who got involved in the challenge.
SignHealth is a national Buckinghamshire-based charity which campaigns for better healthcare and support for Deaf people in the community.
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