23/08/12…….Thame children join 114,000 to break world record

GUINNESS World Records? has this week confirmed that the world record for the most people signing and singing a song simultaneously has been broken, and it includes a Thame school.

National charity, SignHealth, organises the sign2sing record breaker every year and this February (2012) 114,277 pupils and teachers from across Great Britain, including 81 from Thame, participated in the event.

Steve Powell, Chief Executive at SignHealth, the healthcare charity for Deaf people, said: ?We are delighted to have broken the world record for the second year running and we are going to try and beat it again next year.

?We organised the sign2sing event to help raise awareness of deafness and the work we do at SignHealth. It was also a fundraiser for the charity through sponsorship from businesses and a voluntary donation from everyone taking part.?

The school in Thame that took part in sign2sing was Barley Hill Primary School on Ludsden Grove.

Schools that registered for sign2sing received a DVD to help them learn and practise the song, as well as a set of new classroom resources aimed at increasing Deaf awareness.

The song, entitled ?sign2sing?, was composed especially for the event. The lyrics were written by Garry Slack, author of the award-winning ?Sign with Olli? books and the music was composed by Paul Fairey, who has written various theme tunes for television and radio.

The Minister of State for Children and Families, Sarah Teather MP, Actor, Louise Jameson, children?s Laureate and famous author, Julia Donaldson and children?s TV presenter, Dave Benson Phillips all supported sign2sing 2012.

Dave, who attended the sign2sing flagship event, said: ?Every child I spoke to was having such a good time and I was completely overwhelmed by their enthusiasm for signing.?

IMAGE: General shot of chidren taking part (not those from Barley Hill School) Courtesy of: http://www.worldrecordacademy.com