City News

30 local kids from Moseley slept exclusively at the Sea Life Centre, Birmingham – attempt to set new guiness world record - thousands snooze for charity.

Remember the excitement of a sleepover, packing the midnight feast, girls getting ready for a good gossip and boys getting ready for some naughty antics? This excitement was had by many kids on the night of Saturday 20TH June when 30 children from Moseley C of E Primary School in Birmingham were lucky enough to take over the National Sea Life Centre in Brindleyplace, Birmingham for the night, and snuggled down in their sleeping bags with the sea horses, urchins, turtles, rays and sharks in a bid to raise money for Save The Children. They joined thousands of kids across the UK who kipped for charity, taking part in The Giant Sleepover, the world’s largest simultaneous sleepover, raising more than £500,000 for a variety of children’s charities.

Sleep was not the only thing on Saturday’s agenda for the lucky children from Moseley C of E Primary School; they were treated to a special private guided tour of the Centre, meeting turtles, rays, otters, sea horses, urchins and rays and a private screening in the brand new Sensorama 4-D Cinema. The overnight stay was donated by the Centre to help The Giant Sleepover raise funds for charity.

Headmistress of Moseley C of E Primary School, Mrs Roslyn Ashe, said: “The kids had the most fantastic time, and we were so lucky that Sea Life donated this great experience – it gave a group of our children the opportunity to get involved in breaking two world records, raise funds for Save The Children, and have the most brilliant, once in a lifetime opportunity to have exclusive use to sleepover with the creatures at Sea Life!’

Tens of thousands of children clad in their pyjamas, with sleeping bags at the ready from all sorts of groups including schools, guide groups, pony clubs and sea cadets to take part in The Giant Sleepover all over the country. The sleeping was not restricted to the school hall – several other sleepovers took place in unique and unusual venues; kids were imitating Tarzan in a monkey forest, going back in time in a tin mine and York Dungeons and as well as this group at The SeaLife Centre in Birmingham.

The Giant Sleepover has grown from just one school’s commitment in 2003 to a Guinness World Record of 35,000 participants in 2008, and is now a well establish annual event.

One of the Giant Sleepover founders Sandie Dinning comments; “The kids have had a great time this weekend and I think the parents have quite enjoyed a night off too! What is great about the Giant Sleepover is that the kids have so much fun while also learning crucial social and behavioural skills and how they can play a part in helping others. This Summer solstice weekend has been a triumph for the Giant Sleepover with huge support from children who care.”