Coventry Down's Syndrome campaigner awarded Guinness World Record
A disability rights campaigner from Coventry has become a Guinness World Record holder after recalling 70 celebrity birthdays in three minutes.
Heidi Crowter, 27, has set the quickest record for naming the most celebrity birthdays in under 180 seconds.
Ms Crowter who has challenged traditional perceptions of what people with Down's syndrome can achieve said she is "very proud."
Speaking after being crowned she said: "I am feeling very proud of myself for achieving a Guinness World Record.”
"I love sharing my joy of birthdays with people, and I have been writing a birthday list and practising a lot.
"Everyone knows that practice makes perfect."
Naming the birthdays of Queen Victoria, Margaret Thatcher, Brad Pitt and Shakira, Ms Crowter achieved the title under the Guinness World Records’ new impairments initiative in the intellectual impairment category.
Learning disability charity Mencap announced Ms Crowter’s achievement after helping develop the new impairment initiative.
It allows reasonable adjustments to be made for record attempts in order to better include people with a disability.
Ms Crowter said: "Achieving a Guinness World Record means I can do anything I set my mind to.
"I am proud to be a Mencap Myth Buster and keep challenging perceptions about what I can achieve."
A Mencap Myth Buster is someone who wants to challenge misconceptions about learning disability and to campaign for change.
Ms Crowter is one of many people around the UK helping challenge perceptions of learning disabilities, including challenging the legislation which allows the abortion of babies with Down's syndrome up until birth.
Harvey Price, 21, the son of celebrity Katie Price, is also a Mencap Myth Buster.
Mr Price, who has autism, Prader-Willi Syndrome, Septo-Optic Dysplasia and a learning disability, is also aiming to secure a Guinness World Record.
'Crucial to provide a platform for people with a learning disability.'
Mencap’s chief executive Edel Harris said that it was "crucial" to give people with a learning disability the chance to break world records.
"It’s truly ground-breaking for Mencap to be working with Guinness World Records to ensure breaking records is something that’s accessible and achievable for people with a learning disability.
"People with a learning disability, just like the wider population, have a range of amazing skills and talents.
"It is crucial to provide a platform for people with a learning disability to not only provide equal opportunities but also bust myths about what people can and can’t do."
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