The Pirates of Penzance miss World Record 'by a few' people

Thousands of people dressed as pirates flocked to Penzance over the weekend in a failed bid to claim a world record.

Cornwall was determined to snatch the title back from the town of Hastings in East Sussex - and it was fighting talk

The event was raising money for the RNLI, and saw crowds of men, women, and children donate £2 each to dress as a pirate and enter the designated arena.

Pirate check list: what do you need to wear?

Everyone needs to be dressed in accordance with Guinness Book of Records' rules.

All costumes must clearly resemble a pirate and consist of the following:

• pirate style hat (or bandana/kerchief)

• a minimum of two accessories: sword, hook, musket, skull and crossbones flag, parrot, or eye patch

• "appropriate shirt": striped shirt, white or black t-shirt or shirt

• "appropriate trousers": pantaloons, tatty trousers or rolled-up trousers in black/white or striped. People could also wear a skirt or dress instead.

Unfortunately, Penzance lost out by "a few" to the current record of 14,231 pirates.

But organisers weren't discouraged, and said it was a brilliant day for a good cause.

Click to see some of the colour and the costumes: