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Breaking banana records in Ashbourne
The finale of Fairtrade Fortnight 2009 will be the world record banana eating attempt on 6 and 7 March. This was inspired by a world record attempt for simultaneous banana eating organised in Fairtrade Town Ashbourne in Derbyshire. A total of 361 people (and one dog!) took part in the event. Stuart Green, chair of Ashbourne Fairtrade Initiative, explains how they made the record happen.
Why did you decide to do this?
We wanted to do something that would be great fun, but which would help people realise that Fairtrade can be an everyday choice. The idea of a world record came because we wanted to reach as many people as possible with this very simple message – and we know that Ashburnians love a challenge!
What worked well about your event?
The way it caught people’s imaginations – people of all ages and those not involved in Fairtrade. Having people in banana suits running around Ashbourne’s Victoria Square beforehand helped attract people on the day – and also provided some of the most memorable press photos!
What are your top tips for organising a banana eating event?
- Plan big! Estimate how many people you think you’ll attract and then get at least double that number of bananas.
- Spread the word – get your press release to every local and regional media outlet (TV, radio, newspapers) and be ready to do live broadcasts at all hours of the day.
- Be prepared – think through every eventuality and make sure you have plenty of stewards who have been well briefed on what to do.
- Keep it simple – Make registering easy and fast to avoid delays.
What do you think your event achieved?
For Ashbourne, the benefits were that it made Fairtrade the talk of the town. It seemed everyone was talking about the banana world record – and helped show the town that our campaign was about raising the profile of Ashbourne too. For farmers, it helped spread the word of Fairtrade wider than we had imagined possible – and in more detail than we had expected too. We used the event to repeatedly echo the message that people can easily change today by choosing Fairtrade for everyday items.
Finally, what was your favourite memory from the day?
The sight of Ashbourne’s Victoria Square packed full of people all doing a countdown from 10 to 1 – only to be followed by silence as they munched their bananas!
© Spring 2009 Fair Comment