The Devon County Show has co-ordinated a line of knitted bunting which is almost double the length of the one holding the existing Guinness World Record.

Measured yesterday, (Monday, May 25), the 79,001 knitted flags created by thousands of contributors from across the world combined to measure a total of 14,279 kms in length.

The continuous line of bunting was laid out, with each knitted pennant positioned at no more than two inches apart, across the 4,590 square metre floor space of Westpoint Arena in Exeter. The measuring was performed by chartered surveyor and official measurer, Will Morrison from Strutt & Parker in Exeter, with a measuring wheel. It was verified by Will Morrison and witnessed by thee adjudicators – Lord Devon, Cllr Phil Twiss and TV presenter and crafter Kirstie Allsopp.

The existing record is held by Upton House and comprises 31,119 flags, measuring 7.5kms in length.

Read more: World Record knitting attempt stitching community together during self-isolation

Deborah Custance Baker, chief steward for crafts & gardens at Devon County Show, who came up with the idea, said: "The crafts and garden marquee is one of the most popular sections at Devon County Show and all of our stewards and visitors are really hands-on.

"Every challenge we’ve set them so far they’ve not only succeeded in achieving, but have blown our expectations out of the water. The bunting is no exception.

"We cannot believe people’ s dedication and commitment to the task. We thought we might just beat the existing record but doubling it is a truly astonishing feat.

"We do know that this is partly to do with lockdown. Many of our contributors have commented on how knitting has really helped them through this difficult period of self-isolation by giving them a sense of purpose. Several who had committed to making just a few, suddenly found they had both the time and inclination to double, even triple their original pledges."

Witness to the record, Kirstie Allsopp, although known for her crafting capabilities, has never mastered the art of knitting. She said: "This staggering amount of bunting is just incredible and has really given me an incentive to give it one more try!"

Originally the bunting was due to be suspended inside the crafts and gardens marquee at Devon County Show. As the 2020 show had to be cancelled, the bunting will remain in Westpoint until September.

The local community will be invited to see the record-breaking bunting in its full glory on designated evenings throughout the summer.

All the documentation will be submitted to Guinness World Records and verified before the record can be made official.