Pupils to attempt new Guinness World Record to raise awareness of environmental impact of plastic

The Plastic Bottle Boat Challenge © RYA

Over 6,000 primary school pupils at schools across the country are taking part in the Plastic Bottle Boat Challenge which aims is to set a new Guinness World Record to highlight the impact plastic waste is having on oceans and the environment.

The idea for the challenge originated with Queen Mary Sailing Club, in West London, hoping to connect with local schools and has been supported by the Heathrow Community Fund's Communities for Tomorrow grants programme. A grant of £17,000 was awarded to enable the production of a website to scale the project nationally. The RYA is adding its support to the programme.

The Plastic Bottle Boat Challenge will attempt to set a Guinness World Record for the simultaneous launch of a flotilla of plastic boats. The boats will be made out of recycled plastic bottles by primary school children across the country and will be recycled afterwards to show the importance of reusing and recycling materials.

The Challenge aims to demonstrate the impact plastic bottle waste has on the environment. Participating schools have access to a hub of resources for teachers to support learning about plastic pollution in the oceans, the environment, recycling and the circular economy. All educators are invited to contribute and use the resources available to support their school's curriculum.

The Guinness World Record attempt follows a similar attempt achieved, in the development of the project, by the pupils at St. James' Church of England Academy in Bournemouth with the support of the Queen Mary Sailing Club. 330 plastic bottle boats were successfully launched, officially setting a new world record, and recycled. What began in one school has now been taken up by over 60 schools, with almost 6,000 pupils and over 300 teachers involved.

Over 6,000 primary school pupils at schools across the country are taking part in the Plastic Bottle Boat Challenge - photo © RYA

Jeremy Payne, Principal of St. James' Church of England Academy in Bournemouth, said:

"I've been thrilled by the huge response we've had to the Plastic Bottle Boat Challenge, with schools up and down the country asking to take part. Young people in school today will bear the brunt of the future environmental impact of waste plastic, so it's essential that they learn to take responsibility for their own plastic use. We have seen first-hand how passionate the children become about this subject when they really see the consequences of our actions."

"The Plastic Bottle Boat Challenge offers an exciting way to simultaneously unite schools in plastic education and also attempt to set a new Guinness World Record. We all have an important role to play in looking after the future of the planet, and the Plastic Bottle Boat Challenge teaches that every one of us must play our part in combatting this global issue."

Tony Bishop, Club Secretary at Queen Mary Sailing Club said: 'It's overwhelming the amount of support we have received for the challenge, the response from schools and teachers has been fantastic. Sign up will remain open right up to the day of the attempt and there is a great team behind the challenge to support anyone wishing to get involved'.

RYA Director of Sport Development Alistair Dickson added: "We're really excited to be supporting the Plastic Bottle Boat Challenge which is a fantastic way to educate young people about the impact of plastic pollution on our oceans and the environment and inspire them to help make a difference. We are also delighted that this initiative is linked into the RYA's OnBoard programme which means these students will be given the chance to discover sailing and windsurfing for themselves, undoubtedly leading them to become the next generation of ocean guardians".

The Guinness World Record Attempt will take place on Wednesday 27 June 2018 at 14:00 BST. Simultaneously, at multiple locations around the country, thousands of plastic bottle boats will be launched, retrieved and recycled.

A map showing all the schools currently taking part is available here.

Schools are invited to visit the website at www.plasticbottleboatchallenge.com and sign their children up for the attempt.