51Âþ»­

51Âþ»­, Leicester (51Âþ»­) is proudly celebrating making history after officially breaking the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for the largest online hand hygiene lesson (multiple venues).

The record-breaking event, held on 15 October to mark Global Handwashing Day, brought together children from schools across the country for an online hand hygiene lesson. With thousands of youngsters participating, the attempt successfully surpassed the previous record set in India in 2018, officially logging 4,492 children taking part at the same time.

The monumental event was not just about setting records—it was a fun, engaging, and educational experience that emphasised the vital role of handwashing in staying healthy.

The interactive lesson based on research conducted at 51Âþ»­ by the Germs Journey project, included a story focused on hand hygiene, puppets to engage the children, and a practical demonstration using "glo gel" under UV light to show the presence of germs. To make it even more memorable, the lesson was set to music, encouraging the children to wash their hands to the beat of a fun song.

The announcement of the achievement was broken to school children across the country today, which included an official video from GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS.

As the video played this morning at Shaftesbury Junior School in Leicester, the room filled with loud cheers as pupils received the exciting news, one very excited school pupil Iyuna, in year six, said: “It’s crazy, I didn’t think I would ever be a world record holder, I am only ten.

"It’s just a random day in school and we’ve just won a world record.”

Fellow classmate, Nathan also in year six, added: “It's insane, I felt like it was in a different world.”

Nailah also in year six, was excited to go home and tell her family the news, she said: “I can’t even describe how it feels, but it’s kind of cool to say to your family and friends you’ve got a world record.”

Mr Karl Stewart Head Teacher at Shaftesbury Junior School, said: “We are very proud of the children. It was a great opportunity to get involved in setting a world record with such an important message about hygiene, and about looking after yourself and others.

“It’s something they’ll remember for the rest of their lives; it’s making good memories around school and childhood.”

 The GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS achievement was led by 51Âþ»­ microbiology and education experts, Professor Katie Laird, Professor Sarah Younie and Dr Sapphire Crosby, whose research at 51Âþ»­ led to the creation of an educational brand called to educate young people in the importance of washing their hands.

The event was arranged and coordinated across the many schools by the Germ's Journey team, together with 51Âþ»­'s Widening Participation team, led by manager Karla Juerges.

Speaking of the achievement, Professor Katie Laird, said: “Congratulations to everyone involved in the Germ’s Journey GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title!

“A special thanks to the event sponsors and the incredible children who participated—you made this achievement possible.

“Teaching children, the importance of handwashing instils a lifelong habit of infection prevention, helping them stay healthy and safe and we are proud to achieved this on such a large scale in one online lesson."

Professor Sarah Younie added: “This is wonderful news and warrants a very special thank you to everyone who took part in the Germs Journey lesson, it was a collaborative effort, and we achieved a world record. It just shows what can be done by joining up efforts in education across schools and regions.”