Students and staff at public schools in Western Australia’s Shire of Pengilly are getting into the Christmas spirit early this year as they embark on plans to set the Guinness World Record for creating the world’s largest gingerbread community.

The world record attempt will see students and community members from across the Shire of Pengilly bake, build and bedazzle more than 1,251 gingerbread houses, which will come together for the official count at the Pingelly Christmas Village event on Friday, November 27.

Shire of Pengilly CEO Andrew Dover is inviting staff and students from primary and secondary schools across the state, as well as community groups and societies to join in and help beat the current record, which was set in New York in 2017.

“We run an event, the Pingelly Christmas Village, which is one of our major events every year. We decorate the main street, and it’s all launched with a lighting of the Christmas tree. There’s twilight markets and lots of festive activities. It’s one of the biggest in the region, so people come from all over the area,” Andrew said.

“We thought, okay let’s expand on this and really put ourselves on the map. The way we decided to do that was to break a world record. We looked around for Christmassy-type records and settled on this one.”

Other record attempts considered were making the largest hot chocolate or the largest Christmas decoration hung from a Christmas tree. Andrew said building the gingerbread village was the Shire’s most appropriate option for several reasons.

“One, we can do a lot of the pre-work earlier in the year. If you make the gingerbread houses in advance, you can keep them for, say, six months rather than putting it all that work on the team on one day,” he said.

“And then two, is really bringing everybody in the broader community together to build these gingerbread houses. So many people can get involved and it can be a big community effort.”

As stipulated by the Guiness world record, the village’s sugary houses must fit certain size and dimension requirements, and at least 10 per cent of the buildings must be comprised of other buildings you’d find in a township, such as shopping centres, libraries, and churches.

“We’re building the village from scratch with construction gingerbread, which is a slightly different recipe from regular gingerbread that will last six months. It’s one of the cheaper kinds, it’s sturdy to last during transport, and doesn’t need to be refrigerated either,” Andrew said.

It has not been a small undertaking by any means. Andrew says the Shire of Pengilly did a preliminary test last year to ensure the houses would (quite literally) stand up to the Western Australian Christmas summer heat.

“We made the same kind of gingerbread houses last year as a bit of a trial. We made about 200 of them and left some out in the direct sun. No bugs or that kind of thing touched them, and they didn’t melt, even in 40-degree heat. It was really successful,” he said.

The Shire of Pengilly will provide ingredients packages, instructions, and minimum size templates to participating schools and community groups as an initiative to get as many hands on deck as possible.

“Similarly to the schools, if there’s a community group that wants to come on board to help make the gingerbread village, that’s brilliant as well,” Andrew said.

Andrew said the costs associated with hiring an official adjudicator and assistants to attend and assess the world record attempt can be significant, so the Shire also welcomes financial contributions in addition to hands-on helpers.

“We are looking for some sponsorship; basically, for someone to cover some of the costs associated with the attempt, and in exchange there are naming rights available for the record. It’s a way for them to be involved and get recognition for their impact without physically having to do a lot,” Andrew said.

“Initiatives like these are really important for the Shire of Pengilly because they allow us to continue and enhance participation and that strong community feeling.

“We are a small town, and these activities really breathe life and community into our town.”

For more information or to get involved, contact the Shire of Pengilly, Western Australia. WA applicants need only apply.