Eden Project on the Edge of a Guinness World Record for largest ever pub quiz

The Eden Project’s “Did You Kernow” is set to break the Guinness World Record for the largest ever multi-venue pub quiz.

The event has more than 300 venues across Cornwall taking part, half of the county's pubs, and is being held on Thursday December 6 at 8pm.

Guinness World Records has confirmed that the present record was set in Ireland in June this year with 1234 participants in 21 venues. Eden has 317 venues each entering an average of 10 teams.

More than 20,000 people - nearly 20 per cent of Cornwall’s legal drinking population - will be taking part in venues across the Isles of Scilly, Cornwall and a few entries from Devon.

The pub quiz is just one of the activities Eden is organising as part of its campaign in the Big Lottery Fund’s: the People’s £50 Million Contest.

Eden’s the Edge is one of four projects competing. Web voting began on November 26 (see www.edenproject.com/vote) and phone voting is due to open at 9am on Friday December 7.

A series of television programmes on each of the projects competing begins after the evening news on ITV1 tonight (Monday December 3) with Ray Mears championing the Edge.

Emma Mansfield, author of the best selling book The Little Book of Cornwall and pub quiz organiser, said: “Voting for the Edge is the only way to bring £50 million to Cornwall and the pub quiz is a great way to get the word out there.

"But most of all, it's a great way to give the people of Cornwall an entertaining evening out and celebrate the wonderful county in which we live. We’ve been overwhelmed with the response from landlords and landladies. It’s quite an achievement to get so many people and pubs to take part. It should be a very memorable evening for Cornwall”

“The questions are all about Cornwall past and present and we’ve chosen topical, entertaining as well as challenging questions and thrown in a few multiple guess answers to help struggling teams.”

At the beginning of the quiz and on Eden’s behalf, landlords will be encouraging pub quizzers to text EDGE to 82280 and pledge their support. Eden will then contact these people with the phone voting details when they're available.

After the quiz, pubs will return their team score sheets to Eden and the following week a Cornwall-wide league table will be published and trophies will be issued. Prizes will be given to the highest scoring pubs and teams in Cornwall.

Emma added; “we’ve been given some great prizes for winning team members, restaurants such as Austell's in Carlyon Bay, Fifteen Cornwall in Watergate Bay, South Side in Falmouth, The Bakehouse in Penzance and the Blue Bar in Porthtowan have donated free dining vouchers.

"Many of Cornwall’s visitor attractions and food suppliers have donated tickets, annual memberships and some cracking Christmas treats. There’s a list of prizes on our website and details of all the pubs taking part."

For pubs, teams and individuals that want to take part, checkout the website www.edenproject.com/didyoukernow or email didyoukernow@edenproject.com or leave a message on 01726 811999.

The Edge represents the next great phase at Eden. It will be a testament to one-planet living, built to the lowest possible carbon footprint and designed to last. Inside there will be amazing desert, oasis and water gardens on a scale never attempted undercover.

The building will be a model of cutting-edge architecture and technology, harvesting water and energy from the sun, wind, and rain to show how we all might live in the future.

Philippa said: "There is no question about whether ideas at Eden work, they work. People come here and people are inspired and the Edge is a concept that can take us into the future... To me this is a no-brainer, Eden is the perfect place for us to come together, to think, to communicate and most importantly a place for everyone."

Phil, Charlie and Philippa join a growing list of supporters for the Edge including celebrities Ray Mears, Alan Titchmarsh and Laurence Llewellyn-Bowen. Also getting behind Eden are the United Nations, Oxfam, Christian Aid and WaterAid.

The Edge represents the next great phase at Eden. It will be a testament to one-planet living, built to the lowest possible carbon footprint and designed to last. Inside there will be amazing desert, oasis and water gardens on a scale never attempted undercover.

The building will be a model of cutting-edge architecture and technology, harvesting water and energy from the sun, wind, and rain to show how we all might live in the future.

A series of television programmes on each of the projects competing for the Big Lottery Fund’s: the People’s £50 Million Contest begins after the evening news on ITV1 tomorrow (Monday December 3) with Ray Mears championing the Edge.