Our giant Trojan horse made of cardboard breaks the Guinness World Records title on the Yorkshire Coast!
The story of ‘The Odyssey- an epic adventure on the Yorkshire Coast’ had it’s latest instalment in the heart of Bridlington this October, where over 2,000 people came to see the huge creation of the legendary Trojan Horse.
This was an important milestone as we brought our YCB100 Pledge ambitions, together with an event, with the aim of breaking the GUINNESS WORLD RECORD title for the the largest cardboard sculpture.
This is arguably the most well know part of The Odyssey, where the hero Odysseus had a plan to bring the Trojan Wars to an end, with a vision of a giant horse carrying a deadly secret, known by very few.
However, the twist was decided by the public attending over the weekend where they voted on whether it was a story of peace or war, and peace won out!
The giant biodegradable sculpture, standing over seven metres tall, illustrated the most famous element of Homer’s tales of Troy, a story that has inspired generations.
Over 180 volunteers of all ages were involved in the project, including ourselves and our local Bridlington director, who helped the team to tackle this massive feat of creating a structure out of only cardboard and sticky tape and we can now say that it is the largest of its kind ever to be built.
Sustainability and eco-friendly materials were at the forefront of this project, which was a key requirement of ours.
It was made from recycled cardboard, and post construction it was broken down carefully and donated to a variety of different organisations such as food banks who are using it for their food boxes. It is even being used by the creators of GRUE!, another event we are supporting in Scarborough this year, taking place at the Old Parcels Office.
The horse stood at 7.85m tall, 7.02m wide and 16.85m long. It took almost a week to construct, with every section being observed by independent witnesses and measurement experts to ensure it complied with the strict guidelines from Guinness World Records. Their team have verified the evidence and confirmed that this is a new world record.
Lee Threadgold from Animated Objects, who designed the gigantic structure commented: “We’re thrilled to have broken the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for the Largest cardboard sculpture as part of The Odyssey. It’s taken a huge amount of planning and we’d like to thank everyone involved for all their hard work in helping to bring this epic sculpture to life.”
“We hope it will inspire young people from across Yorkshire Coast region and beyond to explore how engineering, maths, design, and large-scale art can be combined to create wonders of their own. It is a huge honour and a real testament to the power of teamwork and community. As one of my favourite movie characters once said, ‘If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything!’ I hope The Trojan Horse inspires people to think exactly that.”
However, the horse is just the beginning for Odysseus. After surviving the Trojan Wars, he now sets upon his journey home. An epic journey filled with peril and magical encounters. Each chapter of our hero’s voyage will take place in a different town along the Yorkshire Coast with events taking place between November and June, so keep following our events page for up to date information.
