With schoolchildren returning to the classroom, a team of Loughborough powerlifters have attempted to break a deadlifting world record, while raising awareness of the millions of UK children going hungry at the start of the day.
The strong team of nine powerlifters have so far raised £1,000 for Magic Breakfast – a national charity that delivers free healthy breakfasts to children and young people.
The group, who work for Loughborough-based The Access Group, descended on Loughborough University’s Powerbase Gym on Monday to attempt to deadlift 250,000kg as a team in 60 minutes. They are now waiting for official confirmation on whether they broke the record which could approximately 12 weeks.
The current world record was set in 2019 with 200,400kg deadlifted by a team in one hour.
To make their feat even more impressive the powerlifters had skipped breakfast and completed the challenge hungry to raise awareness of the four million children in the UK currently at risk of hunger every day.
Earl MacFarlane, Access Support Team Manager and the event organiser, is a dad of three himself.
He commented: “It’s heart-breaking that so many children start their day hungry. It’s an automatic disadvantage and the repercussions of hunger can last for a lifetime. We all have a responsibility to make a positive difference in this world and I want to help give our children’s generation a brighter future with the best possible start.
“Everyone really put the effort in to break this record and it was a great thing to be part of. No matter what happens now we have achieved what we wanted, which was to raise awareness of the situation and raise funds for this great cause.”
Rich Ellis, (Interim) Head of Commercial Partnerships and Sports Facilities at Loughborough University, said: “It was a pleasure to welcome Earl and the team to campus as they embarked on a gruelling challenge for a very worthy cause. The group have undoubtedly helped raise awareness for a fantastic charity and deserve great credit for taking on this epic test of strength.”
Magic Breakfast is The Access Group’s Charity of the Year chosen by employees and works with schools to address food insecurity for children across the UK. According to the Food Foundation, more than four million children are at risk of hunger, and without intervention, start their day without a meal and the essential fuel they need to grow and learn. The charity provides nutritious breakfasts daily to children and young people, working with schools to support the most vulnerable children, positively impacting their lives and educational attainment.
Lindsey Macdonald, CEO of Magic Breakfast, said: “This was a phenomenal challenge to take on. I am incredibly grateful that they have recognised what a dire and desperate issue we face as one in four children in the UK is now at risk of hunger.
“With just 28p needed to fund a Magic Breakfast, their fundraising efforts can do some heavy lifting in our work to provide much-needed breakfasts that help fuel children and young people’s learning in our partner schools, setting them up for bright futures.”
