Bid for fancy dress world record

IT made for a surreal sight on Southwold seafront and may have left one or two onlookers concerned they may have over-indulged on the local Adnams.More than 500 people of all ages walked their way into the record books yesterday as part of the biggest fancy-dress gathering ever held.

IT made for a surreal sight on Southwold seafront and may have left one or two onlookers concerned they may have over-indulged on the local Adnams.

More than 500 people of all ages walked their way into the record books yesterday as part of the biggest fancy-dress gathering ever held.

Southwold fishmonger John Huggins organised the event as a tribute to his courageous granddaughter Sophie Harper, who has battled through eight operations since an aggressive brain tumour was diagnosed last year when she was aged 19 months.

Mr Huggins, who was joined on the two-mile walk by all kinds of characters from Andy Pandy to Bill and Ben and a mermaid, hopes sponsorship will bring in up to £30,000, which will go to the Sick Children's Trust, East Anglia's Children's Hospices and Cancer Research UK.

Sophie, from Wood Street, Norwich, was called in to hospital again on Saturday so missed her special event when she was going to be dressed as a fairy, but five-year-old brother Oliver took part as Darth Vader.

Mr Huggins, who hopes the event will be registered in the Guinness Book of Records, said people who missed the walk because of the weather can still donate money via the website www.sophiesworldrecord.org