Topple in the toon

An avalanche of mattresses, measuring over 1,850ft, hit Newcastle when over 400 Geordies, including the Lord Mayor, came together to attempt to break a World Record for the largest human mattress dominoes topple.

Volunteers used 400 mattresses, approximately the same length as 20 Angels of the North, to try and break the record, and pending confirmation from the Guinness World Record team, are confident they achieved it.

Staff from Palatine Beds, Your Homes Newcastle (YHN), Newcastle City Council (NCC), local businesses and sports clubs were aiming to beat the previous record that was set by 380 participants, in New York, just three weeks ago.

Antonia Dimambro, sales and marketing co-ordinator at Palatine Beds, said: “Palatine has been manufacturing in the North East for over 100 years but we’ve never done anything like this before.

“We got the idea after hearing about several recent attempts and we thought it would be a good way to mark the opening of Newcastle Furniture Services’s new warehouse at Newburn Riverside, Newcastle.

“With all of our expertise we’d probably be able to manufacture the first ever bed for the Angel of the North, but I think we’ll just tackle one record at a time.”

John Lee, chief executive of YHN, added: “This challenge was a lot of fun and brought many people together.

“As well as providing the general public with good quality beds at affordable prices, Palatine has provided Newcastle Furniture Service with all their beds for the past 14 years. I’m delighted that our partnership will continue to develop following the opening of the new warehouse, later this month.”

The Lord Mayor of Newcastle, Councillor Brenda Hindmarsh started the event by being the first human domino mattress to be toppled. She said: “The people of Newcastle are renowned for their fun-natured personalities and I think that this event has really highlighted how we can come together for a common goal.”

The Guinness World Record team will confirm in the next few weeks whether the Newcastle attempt was successful.