Charity volunteers have proved to be more successful than Aston Villa’s footballing season at a record-breaking fundraiser at Villa Park. More than 700 pupils and former England goalkeeper Peter Shilton took part in an attempt to break the record for most painted faces.
Five artists took on the mammoth task of breaking their own record for painting 1,072 faces within four hours, a record they set in 2006.
The challenge was overseen by a Guinness World Records adjudicator.
Helen Elvins, one of the artists, said: “We loved setting the record six years ago and thought we would have a go at breaking it.
“It was nerve-wracking as we did not know how many people would turn up but we think we may have cracked it.”
Helen and the other artists, Sandra Crofts, Kath Monday, Rosie Jones and Helen Eyre, had to paint a face every seven to eight seconds in order to break the record.
The rules stated that each face had to be painted three colours and have a different design to qualify for the record attempt.
Over 700 pupils from King Edwards VI School in Aston and Bishop Challoner’s school in Kings Heath came to show their support and get their faces painted.
Other charitable volunteers included staff from including Barclays, Zurich and Irwin Mitchell solicitors in Birmingham.
The event aimed to raise £4,000 for Edgbaston-based charity Edward’s Trust.
Edward’s Trust offers support for bereaved children and their families and was set up 22 years ago by Peter and Hilary Dent after they lost their seven-year-old son, Edward.
Jeremy Walker, spokesman for the Trust: “We were blown away by how the community pulled together to help us.
“Hundreds of people turned up and we can’t thank them enough.
“Hopefully we will have broken the record but this was about more than that.
“It was a way of bringing people together and highlighting the help out there for bereaved people.”