Guinness World Records 2022: Every Bradford record holder

The annual records collection contains all the weird and wonderful records set across the world, covering every corner of society.

These range from athletic achievements, genetic records and the world of business and engineering and much much more.

Many of these records have been set in Bradford, and here we take a look at those records held by some of Bradford’s finest and those set in the city.

We’ll kick things off with the sporting achievements which have been notched up in the district.

Goalkeepers are now athletic, acrobatic players, but back in 1907 this wasn’t the case at Valley Parade.

William ‘Fatty’ Foulke, as his nickname suggests, hold the record for the heaviest goalkeeper in history. When capped for England he weighed in at 22 stone 3lbs, and at the end of his career at the Bantams he weighed a whopping 26 stone.

Bradford’s other football record actually belongs to ex-Spurs defender Ledley King, who scored the fastest Premier League debut goal against City at Valley Parade on December 9, 2000. He opened the scoring after nine seconds in a 3-3 draw.

Jamie Peacock played in 11 Super League Grand Finals

Two Bradford Bulls legends are also in the book; Lesley Vainikolo’s six tries against Hull in September 2005 is the most in a single Super League match, while Jamie Peacock’s 11 Grand Final appearances (five for Bradford) is also a record, as is his nine victories.

Two Bradford centenarians make the record books for very different reasons.

Captain Tom Moore - the Keighley born WW2 veteran and NHS charity fundraiser - is the oldest person to score a UK Number 1 song, with his cover of You’ll Never Walk Alone, featuring Michael Ball, aged 100.

104-year-old Ivy Bean also entered the record books in 2010 as the older Twitter user ever when she signed up in 2009, sending more than 1,000 tweets to 56,000 followers before she died.

There is one double-record holders in the district; Steve Thorpe from Keighley set the record for most flower bulbs planted in an hour in October 2018, and most plug plants planted in an hour in October 2015. He planted 2,019 flowers and 3,336 plants - that’s almost one a second!

Captain Tom was the oldest person to score a UK Number 1 single. Pic: PA

Mass events have also taken place in the city; N-Able for All and Choices 4 All set the record for most participants in a static hand cycle relay in eight hours in December 2016, with 455 people taking part.

Bradford-based Yorkshire Building Society held the largest cream tea party ever across six offices in June 2015, with 667 staff taking part in the event in aid of Marie Curie.

West Yorkshire Police also helped organise the largest game of ‘If You’re Happy and You Know It’ in Lister Park in July 2011, with 1,128 people taking part, including hundreds of children from Manningham schools.

Bradford’s Gloria Buckley organised the largest knitted blanket record in May 1999, with knitters worldwide sending in patches which were put together at Dishforth Airfield to create a blanket measuring 17,289sq/m.

Norman Barrett was born in Bradford and has gone on to be the world’s longest serving circus ringmaster, celebrating his 60th anniversary in 2016.

Bradford is also home to the earliest colour moving pictures, with film found in the National Science and Media Museum archives in 2012 dating back to 1901.