Guinness World Records: All the holders in East Lancashire

However, the wacky and wonderful book contains all sorts of interesting and bizarre records from all over the world, including several set right here in East Lancashire.

From epic physical challenges, races against time and humongous desserts, the good people of our region have tested themselves in all manner of ways to win a place in the coveted GWR annual.

Here is a list of some of the Guinness World Record holders from around East Lancashire

Craig Holden

Craig Holden in action

Craig Holden, from Waddington, holds two world records, both of which were completed on his specially constructed kick scooter with huge bike wheels on the same day.

Mr Holden holds the records for fastest mile on a kick scooter, and farthest distance travelled in one hour, both set on August 20, 2021.

He covered the mile in just three minutes, 52.97 seconds, and in an hour covered 20,946 metres around a track in Barrowford.

On his records, he said: “"I want to show my two boys who have always had Guinness World Records books and who are mad keen on their scooters that if you try your best and set a high target you can achieve anything, like setting a new world record!"

Jay Flynn

Jay with his certificate

Born out of the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown, when a British institution, the weekly pub quiz, had to be halted, Darrener Jay Flynn took it open himself to keep quizzers going from home.

From his house in Darwen, he live streamed his pub quiz on YouTube, and at its peak, on April 30, 2020, it kept 182,513 people entertained.

Jay – whose personal backstory is inspirational in itself – received an MBE for his efforts and is still going with his quizzes on YouTube, after vowing to keep going until the last quizzer puts down their pen.

Pudding and pie

While Lancashire is world-renowned for the hotpot – and rightly so – two towns in East Lancashire hold world records for different culinary delights.

The first record was set back in 2005 by the Fence Gate Inn, in Fence, when it created the world’s most expensive pie, a steak and mushroom dish which cost a whopping £8,195 (£13,870 in today’s money).

Serving eight diners, it contained £500 of Japanese wagyu beef fillet, from cows which received massages, Chinese matsutake mushrooms costing £500 per kilogram which are harvested under guard they are so precious, Winter Black truffles, French Bluefoot mushrooms costing £200 per kilo, a gravy made using two bottles of 1982 vintage Chateau Mouton Rothschild wine costing £1,000 a bottle, and with a pastry topped with edible gold leaf costing £100 per sheet.

The diners said it tasted “fantastic”.

No meal is complete without dessert, which is where Clitheroe’s Farmhouse Fare joined the party on April 17, 2012, when it created the world’s largest sticky toffee pudding.

The classic pud weighed a whopping 334 kilograms and was the size of an office desk, containing so many calories a person would have to run 520 marathons to burn it off.

It was divided into 3,180 portions to be sold after achieving the record, and was all in aid of Macmillan.

Samina Hussain

Samina Hussain

Blackburn’s Samina set this record on July 15, 2021, and her hands must have been aching by the end as she completed 600 henna tattoos in one hour, that’s one every six seconds!

GWR said: “Samina decided to attempt this record as it's part of her heritage and culture, and she had always been fascinated with henna folklore.

“She had been told several times she was a fast henna artist, so she wanted to test exactly how fast she was, and when she discovered this record title, she decided she was going to break it!”

Emma Bradley

Another time-related record holder is Rishton’s Emma Bradley, who had always dreamed of being a Guinness World Record holder.

To enter the book, she looked no further than her own feet, challenging herself to put on 10 socks as fast as possible.

On June 17, 2023, she achieved the record in just 17.59 seconds to achieve her dream!.

Matheu Parry

Another scooter related record has its home in East Lancashire, after Mr Perry’s effort in Nelson on June 10, 2000.

Matheu, from Trawden, set the record for farthest distance travelled in 24 hours on a self-propelled push scooter, covering a huge 269.1 kilometres during the epic challenge.

Football freestyler

John in action in Blackburn

Longridge’s John Farnworth holds an impressive six world records with his soccer skills.

These are: longest duration controlling a football on an elevated slackline; most football touches with the toes in one minute; farthest distance juggling a football on ice in one hour, most full volley rebounds in 30 seconds, highest altitude football dropped and volleyed into a goal, and fastest time to complete 10 Maradona football tricks.

The Bullet

Professional golfer Marcus Armitage, who grew up in Waterfoot, was challenged to set a seemingly impossible record in 2021 – and nailed it.

Armitage, nicknamed The Bullet, set the record for farthest golf shot caught in a moving car alongside BMW touring car driver Paul O’Neill, smashing the previous record by 30 yards on April 8, 2021, at an airfield in York.

Armitage, who has one European Tour win, hit his ball 303 yards down the runway, where it was caught by Mr O’Neill, driving at 71mph, triggering jubilant scenes.

Gravy wrestling

A uniquely East Lancashire tradition is the Stacksteads World Gravy Wrestling Championships, held annually at the Rose & Bowl pub in the village.

Joel Hicks holds the record for most wins of the event with six, winning the men’s category at the inaugural event in 2007 and capturing his record breaking sixth title in 2019.

With fancy dress mandatory, wrestlers battle it out in a pool of gravy, and is held to support local charities including East Lancashire Hospice.

Do you fancy being a Guinness World Record holder? Check out the GWR website for the full list of records to see which you fancy having a crack at, and be sure to let us know if you are successful!