12 of the most bizarre world records ever broken in Yorkshire

Athletes sprinting across a finishing line at breakneck speed might typically be the image that springs to mind when thinking of a world record - but impressive feats come in all shapes and sizes.
Yorkshire has some unusual world records to its nameYorkshire has some unusual world records to its name
Yorkshire has some unusual world records to its name

From large-scale dressing up, to memorabilia collections and giant food, Yorkshire has its fair share of bizarre Guinness World Record successes to its name.

Flat cap wearing shenanigans

Set on Yorkshire Day (1 August) in 2018, 417 people gathered in Leeds' Kirkgate Market to breaking the world record for the most people wearing a flat cap - a record which previously stood at only 250.

443 helped set the record for the most people dressed as Sherlock Holmes in 2014443 helped set the record for the most people dressed as Sherlock Holmes in 2014
443 helped set the record for the most people dressed as Sherlock Holmes in 2014

The largest space hopper race

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Sheffield bounced into the world record books in 2010, when 771 participants took part in the largest space hopper race at the Don Valley Grass Bowl.

The event was organised by Yorkshire Cancer Research, Weston Park Hospital Cancer Charity and Cavendish Cancer Care, and raised £50,000 for the three charities.

The world's smallest nightclub

The world's largest onion bhaji weighed 102.2kg and was 40.94 inches in lengthThe world's largest onion bhaji weighed 102.2kg and was 40.94 inches in length
The world's largest onion bhaji weighed 102.2kg and was 40.94 inches in length

Dubbed 'Club 28', Gerard Jenkins-Omar and Stephen Robson achieved the record for the world's smallest nightclub after unveiling their creation at the first ever Rotherham Carnival in 2016.

The box measured just 2.01m (6ft 7in) high, 0.92m (3 ft) wide and 1.53m (5 ft) deep, with a maximum capacity of seven people, including the DJ.

A big fat record-breaking wedding

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Leeds couple, Alex and Amy Simmons, took extravagant weddings to new extremes when they tied the knot in Leeds in front of a record breaking number of guests, with 130 bridesmaids and 103 ushers in tow.

Leeds couple, Alex and Amy Simmons, had a wedding party of 130 bridesmaids and 103 ushersLeeds couple, Alex and Amy Simmons, had a wedding party of 130 bridesmaids and 103 ushers
Leeds couple, Alex and Amy Simmons, had a wedding party of 130 bridesmaids and 103 ushers

Their mass wedding saw them set a double world record – most ushers to one groom and most bridesmaids to one bride - and the happy couple got their dream day completely free of charge, after entering a competition run by a local bridal shop.

Most people in a bleep test

In 2017, Army Foundation College in Harrogate set a new world record for the most participants in a bleep test, when 941 people took part as part of their graduation week.

The most people dressed as Sherlock Holmes

In 2014, 443 gathered in the grounds of Temple Newsam dressed in deerstalker hats and cloaks, teamed with a pipe and a trusty magnifying glass, setting the world record for the most people dressed as famous fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes.

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Money raised from the event went towards a new Yorkshire Brain Research Centre at Leeds Teaching Hospitals, and the best dressed participant received a BBC Sherlock script signed by the cast.

Giant vegetables

Displays of giant fruit and veg are not uncommon at flower shows around Yorkshire, but Tony Glover's entry at Harrogate's Autumn flower show in 2014 proved to outdo the competition, claiming the world record for the heaviest onion at a whopping 8.5kg.

Spice Girls fever

Leeds City Museum became a world record holder back in 2011 for housing the largest collection of Spice Girls memorabilia and merchandise, with more than 2,000 items on display.

The Spiceworld exhibition, from collector Liz West, featured a range of outfits worn by the group (including Geri Halliwell’s iconic Union Jack boots) along with accessories, platinum discs, books, magazines and dolls, and was visited by around 50,000 people.

The largest nursery rhyme sing-a-long

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Children from schools in the Manningham and Toller Council Ward areas of Bradford set the record for the largest nursery rhyme sing-a-long of If You're Happy and You Know It, when 1,128 participants took part in the 2011 event organised by West Yorkshire Police and the Positive Bradford Initiative.

Hankie headwear trends

Yorkshire holds the world record for the most people wearing hankies on their head, when in 2015 a total of 838 people took to the streets of Farsley, at the annual seaside-themed Farsley Festival, wearing knotted hankies.

Cooking up a storm

Bradford boasts the record for the world's largest onion bhaji, weighing a mighty 102.2kg and reachinf a length of 40.94 inches.

The record was set in 2011 when Prashad Restaurant, Colin Burt and a team of Bradford College cookery students whipped up the epic creation.

Suitcase packing efficiency

Rosie Marshalle set the record for the fastest time to pack a suitcase at Primrose Valley Holiday Park in North Yorkshire in 2016, efficiently packing 20 items in a speedy 46.18 seconds.