Rotary has achieved a massive feat at the Sovereign Place Town Centre constructing a 10,080m washing line filled with socks for charity.
Volunteers from the Hastings community, schools and child care centres pegged an amazing 107,886 socks on a mammoth custom-made line on 4-5 June in the quest to break the world record for the ‘longest washing line of socks’.
Rotary will now endure a 12-week wait to learn if Port Macquarie has gone down in the history books and smashed the current 6,066m Guinness World Record, held by the small village of Halverde, Germany.
“It actually feels like a real sense of pride in achieving what we set out to do,” announced Rotary Club of Port Macquarie West President Heather Mayne as the last socks were pegged.
Following the public launch in March, the Rotary Club of Port Macquarie West, in conjunction with Rotary clubs far and wide, meticulously collected and counted socks from across the NSW Mid North Coast, with some bundles coming as far south as Melbourne to contribute to the world record title.
“The idea was born as part of Rotary’s centenary in Australia, to devise a project that will ultimately build and strengthen communities,” explained project director Trevor Gilson.
Seizing on the prospect, Rotary put a call out for unwanted, singular or holey socks to raise money to help four beneficiaries whose opportunities to fundraise were severely limited over the past year by COVID-19 restrictions. They included: Soldier On, Hastings Education Fund, YP Space Mid North Coast and Endeavour Mental Health Recovery Clubhouse.
Principal sponsor Sovereign Place Town Centre donated $15,000 and pledged to double the total if Rotary met its fundraising target.
“Eco friendly reusable product manufacturer Activated Eco kindly loaned 150,000 stainless steel pegs to the cause to ensure the sustainability of the challenge,” added Trevor Gilson.
“We were overwhelmed with the level of community support for this unique and ‘FUN’ fundraiser aimed at helping four deserving charities.”
All socks will now be donated to Textile Recyclers Australia as well as charities in Australia and abroad.
“It might be a crazy hair-brained idea but it really does prove Rotary can do anything if we set our hearts and minds to it, and I really want to acknowledge Sovereign Hills for the support you have given us right from the start,” added Heather Mayne.
“It really does show how close knit and unique this community at Port Macquarie and Sovereign Hill is,” Lewis Land Group CEO Matthew McCarron added.
If you would like to donate to the challenge’s fundraising efforts, head to Rotary’s GoFundMe fundraising page..
