Chesterfield FC Community Trust has been confirmed as Guinness World Record holders for the largest chair-based exercise session, with a final attendance of 1,163, breaking the previous record of 731.
Andrea Parkinson, who organised the event, summed up her feelings after the attempt was confirmed, saying: “When we got the email and the confirmation, it was more relief than anything else. It’s been a long time since we did the event to get the approval, and I couldn’t wait to share it with everyone.”
Talking about how long the process took, Andrea explained: “Planning the event took probably six months, and then the evidence took six months to be approved, so it’s been a year-long process, and I couldn’t be prouder.
“They [Guinness] kept coming back and asking lots of questions about different things, and thankfully, with all the evidence that the media team managed to capture, we had an answer for everything. The email made all the hard work worth it.”
Reflecting on the day of the attempt, back in September, Andrea added: “It was amazing, and I was still having conversations with people yesterday and last week. A lot of people were asking if we’d heard anything, so they were anxious about whether we’d done it or not.
“It was great to have primary schools, Chesterfield College, local care homes, our own Senior Spireites and the whole community attending. It was an amazing day, and if people didn’t turn up, buy into the idea and take part in the event, the record wouldn’t have happened.”
The world record was achieved in partnership with Age UK, who trained Olly Parkinson, Oli Barnes, Craig Dawson and Debbie Dance to be able to deliver sessions every week.
Raising awareness of chair-based exercise, which anybody can take part in, was the aim of the world record, regardless of age or ability, as workouts can be adapted.
