Longest game of Chinese Whispers-world record
set by British kids
LONDON, UK --1,330 children, aged seven to 11, and celebrities
from the world of sport and entertainment have set a new world
record for the longest
game of Chinese whispers.
Photo:
Staged at Arsenal
Football Club's Emirates Stadium, the record breaking
children have already raised more than £100,000 for Save
the Children and TreeHouse,
the national charity for autism education.(enlarge
photo)
The attempt which lasted for 2 hours and 4 minutes
beat the existing record held by the Cycling Club of Chengdu,
China, involving 1083 people in 2006.
Organised by BI, the UK's leading communication
and motivation company, in partnership with Arsenal FC, TreeHouse
and Save
the Children, the event saw children aged 7-11 from
the Milton Keynes area, join forces with children from north
London who participate in Arsenal
in the Community initiatives and children's groups associated
with both charities. (enlarge
photo)
Also supporting the event were Nick Hornby, Ainsley
Harriott, Dermot O'Leary and Austin Healy joined forces with
Spandau Ballet singer Tony Hadley, impressionist Jon Culshaw,
former England and Crystal Palace star John Salako, actress
Michelle Collins and Holby City stars Amanda Mealing and Duncan
Pow to cheer the children on and see them smash the record.
And Sir Steve Redgrave comments: "This is a fantastic
achievement by all the children involved. It has been an honour
to support these record breakers in their efforts to raise
money for both TreeHouse and Save
the Children. Both charities undertake vital work
and The Chinese Whispers event has been all about helping
children help each other."
CHINESE whisper is a game in which each participant
secretly whispers to the participant next to him a phrase
or sentence whispered to them by the preceding participant.
(enlarge
photo)
Cumulative errors from mishearing often result in the
sentence heard by the last player differing greatly and amusingly
from the one uttered by the first. It is usually played by
children as a party game or in the playground.
The message was communicated in a variety of ways.
Most of the children whispered the message but those unable
to use speech as their main form of communication, used a
language programme called Makaton. This is a language involving
signs and symbols designed for those with a variety of communication
and learning difficulties.
After the message had passed 200 children it
had changed to 'We're breaking a record' and after 500 children
it was recorded as 'Everyone is evil'.
By the time the message reached the last child,
it had changed dramatically and was read out as simply; 'Haaaaa'.
This is a practical example of how even the simplest
of messages can get corrupt. As an expert commented, “It is
very human to delete, construct, distort or generalise the
original message based on the receiver’s personality.”
Hence, when important messages are to be passed
on, the general procedure is for the listener to repeat the
message to the originator – this reduces chances of any error
creeping in.
Money raised through the event will be used to
further TreeHouse's
plans to open a National Centre for Autism Education in north
London and will raise money for Save
the Children's biggest-ever global campaign to stop
10 million children dying each year before their fifth birthday.
The previous world record was held by the
Cycling Club of Chengdu, China, involving 1083 people in 2006.
In the last 2 years, there have been seven unsuccessful attempts
to smash the record.
Monday, July 14, 2008
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