Bikini-clad women take to the beach in world record bid

Jul 21 2008 by The Journal

MORE than 300 women braved the unpredictable British summer weather yesterday as they attempted to break a world record for the most bikini-clad women ever photographed together.

But despite 320 women stripping down to their swimwear on Redcar beach, Cleveland, the effort was not enough to get a place in the record books.

The fundraising event, organised by the Middlesbrough Erimus Rotary Club, failed to beat the current Guinness World Record, set in September last year on Bondi Beach, in Sydney, Australia, when 1,010 women posed together in their bikinis.

However, it is still expected that the record attempt will have raised thousands of pounds for the Great North Air Ambulance Service, through £5 entry fees and sponsorship.

And, although a far cry from the sunny climes of Sydney, the sun did put in an appearance in Redcar yesterday as thousands of people lined the beach to watch the women, aged from 16 to 81, taking part in the challenge.

Organiser Mike Robson, chairman of fundraising at the Rotary Club, said: “It was electric. The atmosphere was fantastic.

“We didn’t manage to break the record, in fact we got nowhere near it, but that isn’t a disappointment. We managed to make an awful lot of money for the Great North Air Ambulance.”

He continued: “We had one lady of 81, we had one lady who came from Surrey purely to do this, lots of ladies from all over the North East, all shapes and sizes. Exactly what we wanted.”