Thousands try for banana world record

Thousands of people went "bananas" to try to set a world record and boost Fairtrade - including children in Shropshire. More than 300,000 pledged to eat a Fairtrade banana between noon yesterday and noon today.

A number of banana-themed events were held across the UK ranging from afternoon teas to games.

Children at Sherrifhales Primary School in Shifnal, joined in the record-breaking attempt, with all 75 children munching on the fairtrade fruit.

The bananas were donated by Lee Proudfoot local distributor for an organic produce company - Riverford on Stockley Farm.

Sue Hancocks, school administrator, said: "We were contacted by Mr Proudfoot to see if we wanted to take part and of course we did. He was collating the numbers for the record attempt.

"The children all had an assembly beforehand to teach them about Fairtrade."

Youngsters at the Longmeadow Primary School in Bayston Hill, near Shrewsbury, were also busy munching away in a bid to raise awareness.

Residents in the first Fairtrade towns in the UK and the United States - Garstang in Lancashire and Media in Pennsylvania - were watching each other take part in the record attempt via a live video link.

Leeds hosted its own banana-eating event in the city centre yesterday, while in London a banana-eating "flash mob" were due to descend on Trafalgar Square today.