Xiaohongshu
Who'd have thought an afternoon of crafting, collaging and coming together as a community would earn us... a World Record!
On Thursday 4 June, over 400 members of our community braved the rain and tube strikes to come together and decorate over 400 cards, breaking the world record for 'the most people decorating cards simultaneously'.
It was a record built on kindness and warmth - our students took a simple act of kindness and amplified it, turning micro‑volunteering into a World Record achievement. All cards were donated to our local charity partners at the Students' Union (including Age UK Camden and Holborn Community Association's Doorstep Help Programme), where over 400 older adults in Camden experiencing loneliness and isolation will receive a thoughtful and carefully curated homemade card.
The claxons sounded at 13:17, and we were on our way! What followed was 30 minutes of community joy. Throughout the attempt, two of our wonderful students (shoutout to Ana, your Activities and Engagement Officer, and Rawleka, one of your Volunteering Officers) even went live on BBC Radio London to talk about our World Record attempt. It became a platform for more students to discover Crafternoons, as well as learn about National Volunteering Week and the full range of Social Impact opportunities at the Students’ Union.
Shortly after 14:00, we learned we had secured the Guinness World Records™ title, and the quad became a place of shared pride and celebration (as well as a hotspot for photos with Jeremy Beartham!)
The attempt was part of our UCL200 Summer Festival: our way of bringing our community together to celebrate UCL's 200th birthday. You can check out all the highlights from the week here.