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Strictly Off the Record: On the Trail of World Records with Norris McWhirter
In this acutely funny, witty and endearing memoir, Anna Nicholas recounts her adventures judging records around the world with The Guinness Book of Records famed founder, Norris McWhirter, CBE. Nicknamed Batman and Robin, they travelled the UK and beyond together, meeting eccentric, weird and wonderful record breakers. Adjudicating Richard Branson’s circumnavigation of the globe in a hot air balloon, the world’s highest tower of bread in Jakarta, the longest conga line in Miami, festival of record-breaking in South Korea, and the cramming of the most people ever onto deckchairs on Weymouth beach was all in a day’s work for this dynamic duo. And, of course, things didn’t always go exactly according to plan…
353 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 6, 2010
1 person is currently reading
5 people want to read
About the author
Anna Nicholas
13 books10 followersAnna is a bit of a wild Celt being of Irish, Scottish and Welsh extraction.
During her childhood, she spent many unconventional yet magical school holidays travelling around Eastern Europe and some off the map destinations in a battered old car and on a shoe string with her older sister, Cecilia, and her inspiring teacher mother and aunts Minny and Della. It is these experiences that have led to her life long love of travel and adventure.
After leaving school, Anna studied English Literature and Classics at Leeds University before joining the national charity, Help the Aged, as a graduate trainee. Promoted to senior press officer, she organised many fundraising and gala events involving high profile celebrities and the late Princess Diana, who at that time was the charity’s patron.
Moving to the Guinness Book of World Records she became International PR spokesman and invigilator, working closely with both the late Norris McWhirter, CBE, and TV presenter Roy Castle and travelled the world judging extraordinary records.
Those she most enjoyed adjudicating included the world’s longest conga line with singer Gloria Estefan in Miami; the tallest tower of bread in Indonesia; the festival of record breaking in Korea; the longest train journey which culminated in Hong Kong, and driving around Finland in the world’s longest limo.
After several years of unadulterated fun and madness at Guinness, Anna became marketing director and then a board director for a luxury bathrooms and aromatics company in Mayfair. Some years later she established her own PR and marketing consultancy with international clients in luxury travel, retail, hotels and spas.
After an impromptu meeting with renowned British explorer, Colonel John Blashford-Snell, CBE, Anna accompanied him on an expedition to Nepal, and for 10 years served as a trustee and director of his charity, The Scientific Exploration Society (SES).
She is also a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, and continues – time permitting – to participate in tough scientific expeditions to remote corners of the globe. The most bizarre of these, the subject of BBC2 TV documentary, A Grand Adventure, was when she and the colonel led an expedition to the remote Wai Wai community in Guyana in order to bring them a grand piano for their mud hut church.
She is a keen runner, having completed ten full marathons and 20 half marathons on behalf of her favourite causes. Her most recent international marathon was running in a South African reserve alongside the Big Five beasts. Anna has been a freelance journalist for many years, having written features for the Financial Times, Independent, Sunday Telegraph, Evening Standard, Daily Mail, Daily Express, UltraTravel USA and Tatler among others, as well as several in-flight magazines.
She is the Mallorca destination expert for Telegraph UK and writes for local island newspaper, Majorca Daily Bulletin. Anna lives in Mallorca with her husband, Alan. She has presented her books at the Times Oxford Literary Festival and been guest speaker at numerous events. Her new title, Fallen Butterfly, was published 15, December 2022.
During her childhood, she spent many unconventional yet magical school holidays travelling around Eastern Europe and some off the map destinations in a battered old car and on a shoe string with her older sister, Cecilia, and her inspiring teacher mother and aunts Minny and Della. It is these experiences that have led to her life long love of travel and adventure.
After leaving school, Anna studied English Literature and Classics at Leeds University before joining the national charity, Help the Aged, as a graduate trainee. Promoted to senior press officer, she organised many fundraising and gala events involving high profile celebrities and the late Princess Diana, who at that time was the charity’s patron.
Moving to the Guinness Book of World Records she became International PR spokesman and invigilator, working closely with both the late Norris McWhirter, CBE, and TV presenter Roy Castle and travelled the world judging extraordinary records.
Those she most enjoyed adjudicating included the world’s longest conga line with singer Gloria Estefan in Miami; the tallest tower of bread in Indonesia; the festival of record breaking in Korea; the longest train journey which culminated in Hong Kong, and driving around Finland in the world’s longest limo.
After several years of unadulterated fun and madness at Guinness, Anna became marketing director and then a board director for a luxury bathrooms and aromatics company in Mayfair. Some years later she established her own PR and marketing consultancy with international clients in luxury travel, retail, hotels and spas.
After an impromptu meeting with renowned British explorer, Colonel John Blashford-Snell, CBE, Anna accompanied him on an expedition to Nepal, and for 10 years served as a trustee and director of his charity, The Scientific Exploration Society (SES).
She is also a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, and continues – time permitting – to participate in tough scientific expeditions to remote corners of the globe. The most bizarre of these, the subject of BBC2 TV documentary, A Grand Adventure, was when she and the colonel led an expedition to the remote Wai Wai community in Guyana in order to bring them a grand piano for their mud hut church.
She is a keen runner, having completed ten full marathons and 20 half marathons on behalf of her favourite causes. Her most recent international marathon was running in a South African reserve alongside the Big Five beasts. Anna has been a freelance journalist for many years, having written features for the Financial Times, Independent, Sunday Telegraph, Evening Standard, Daily Mail, Daily Express, UltraTravel USA and Tatler among others, as well as several in-flight magazines.
She is the Mallorca destination expert for Telegraph UK and writes for local island newspaper, Majorca Daily Bulletin. Anna lives in Mallorca with her husband, Alan. She has presented her books at the Times Oxford Literary Festival and been guest speaker at numerous events. Her new title, Fallen Butterfly, was published 15, December 2022.
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