Head start for Guinness record bid

What do you get when you have 1033 secondary school students and teachers all wearing paper hats in the same place at the same time?

Hopefully a Guinness world record.

John Paul College head boy Sam Kelly said yesterday's record attempt to have the most people wearing paper hats simultaneously at a single location had the numbers to beat the current world record - now they just have to get it formally approved.

Sam came up with the idea after attending a leadership camp in Australia earlier this year - and scrolled through the Guinness Book of World Records looking for the easiest record to break.

The paper hats one was it - although Sam admits he wasn't quite aware of all the work the record attempt would require behind the scenes.

"It was a lot of work and there was a lot of stuff you wouldn't think of."

Students and teachers took part in the attempt with 1033 being counted in the tally. The previous record was 973.

Sam said while at first people weren't too sure about his idea, once they found out more they got behind it.

"Everyone counted down and it was a pretty cool atmosphere."

Sam hoped the record would be made official in the next couple of months.