THE RAIN did not deter hundreds of people turning up at Saltburn promenade on Friday (19 May) to attempt to conquer a world record for the World’s Largest Waltz.
The event was organised by Age UK Teesside to celebrate “loving later life” and to ultimately raise awareness of the social isolation and loneliness felt by many of the elderly population.
While the dancers fell short of breaking the record, and the rain made a big appearance, this certainly didn’t dampen the spirits of those who took part.
Guinness Book of Records regulation required there to be more than 1510 couples waltzing simultaneously for five minutes and 20 seconds. On Friday, over 700 people took part and danced for five minutes and 30 seconds.
Anne Sykes, CEO of Age UK Teesside, said: “Ultimately, this was a celebration about loving later life, and accepting that no matter how old you are, you can still live life to the fullest.
“It was wonderful to see people of all ages come along and take part, and I want to thank every single dancer for their efforts. Perhaps somewhere down the line we will take that world record from Bosnia.”
Bosnia holds the current title which it has held since 2007 when they waltzed to victory with 3,020 people in the town of Tuzla.
Mark Ladyman, Director for Economic Growth at Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council, said: “We were honoured to host the waltz on our seafront in Saltburn. We would particularly like to thank Age UK Teesside for organising such a spectacular event.