A Suffolk church community is attempting to break the world record for the largest number of nativity scenes in one place.
St Mary’s Church in Mildenhall now has more than 1,100 mini nativity scenes at the church, and aims to surpass the Guiness World Record figure of 2,150 by their final count on Christmas Eve.
Each nativity scene has been handmade or loaned by people living in the community, including children at the local primary schools, scout and brownie groups and members of other local churches.
The Revd Sue Leathley, Team Vicar at the Forest Heath Team Ministry, said: “We do something every year for the community so they can come in and get involved – lots of different groups and schools in the area. But this year we wanted to do something a bit different. We had a count at the weekend and we had reached 1,180 already, and we have the promise of several hundreds more this week. We are hoping we’ll hit our target, and break the record, by Christmas Eve.”
To officially confirm the record, the church will have to have the number checked and verified by two independent witnesses, as well as submitting photos and videos of the nativity displays to Guiness.
The nativities are made of a variety of materials, including cardboard, wool and decorated wooden spoons. The Revd Leathley said she was delighted by the number of donations, which included submissions from Mildenhall library, the town’s museum, cycling and cricket clubs and local businesses. She added: “The response from the community, schools, organisations, groups, churches, families and individuals has been amazing. The creativity and variety has been wonderful and we are grateful for the generosity and participation by so many people. It has made the church look fantastic and provided lots for people to see, all centred on the birth of Jesus.”
To find a Christmas service please visit www.achurchnearyou.com.