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II maintain the Guinness World Report for essentially the most male wins within the Gravy Wrestling World Championship. I’ve received six instances and maintain the title for many consecutive wins. It is simply one among a number of doubtful world titles I maintain.
I’m additionally a five-time winner of Fowl Man, a contest the place you construct a flying machine and fly it off a pier, and I’m a former world champion in Clog Cobbing – which includes throwing previous boots very far. I’m a world champion egg thrower and I maintain the document for carrying my spouse, for carrying the heaviest wife in the history of Wife Carrying. I’m additionally the one man to compete carrying two wives on the similar time.
Individuals all the time ask: how did I get into all this?
In 2006, I went to the World Marsh Snorkelling Championships in Wales for a enjoyable day trip and to lift some cash for charity within the course of. I had a good time and the folks there made me really feel very welcome. I made a decision to do a number of occasions a yr. At some point, I noticed an advert on-line for gravy wrestling and thought, “This may very well be enjoyable.” So I drove to a grocery store automobile park in Wigan to roll round in gravy with six different folks whereas confused buyers walked by and threw a number of coppers within the bin for us.
On the time I received my first gravy wrestling championship, I used to be coaching to be a lawyer (I’ve levels in biochemistry and regulation). I used to be referred to as to the bar in 2009, and I needed to decide about whether or not to proceed practising regulation—which might have taken over my life—or to comply with my ardour. I made a option to comply with my ardour.
I lastly set it up Always with a smilea basis to lift cash for native charities by means of quite a lot of outrageous, very British and really eccentric occasions. Gravy wrestling is the epitome of a conventional group occasion, and these are sadly disappearing from the scene lately. We do between 35 and 75 occasions a yr. None of us receives a commission, together with me.
We use about 2,000 gallons of sauce for every sport. It is really spicy. I haven’t got a favourite taste, however we did have an issue as soon as when somebody determined to make use of onion sauce and it acquired throughout our eyes and left us in tears.
We don’t create the occasions – they’re related to the world they’re in. It’s about taking native traditions and that heritage and attempting to lift cash from it. For instance, gravy wrestling is particular to Lancashire – sausages, hotpots, that’s what they do – and we increase £4,500 yearly for East Lancashire Hospice.
Gravy isn’t a standard a part of my eating regimen, so I nonetheless handle to swallow it. We use about 2,000 gallons of the stuff. Lots of people do not know this, however the gravy we struggle over is absolutely spicy. I haven’t got a favourite taste, however we did have an issue as soon as when somebody determined to make use of onion gravy and it acquired throughout our eyes and left us in tears.
General, what began as simply me has became one thing big. Individuals journey all around the nation to come back to our occasions. Since then, I’ve began modeling, performing, and pictures. I acquired my first industrial after a photographer noticed me doing an occasion. I used to be a firefighter in a Harpic industrial that ran for 4 years. I used to be within the film The Nordic and I play a man referred to as Scorching Slippy Jesus on an ITV present referred to as Apocalypse WowI simply acquired again from Belgium to do a industrial.
Individuals ask me, effectively, why does all this matter? While you see what the facility of a smile can do, it is so rewarding. You must see the look in a child’s eyes once they catch you within the sauce or knock you out. After they’re 14 or 15, they’re going to keep in mind that and possibly take into consideration passing it on. I hope it helps the following era of individuals make a small distinction.
All of those competitions, nevertheless, have taken their toll on my physique. Since beginning the muse, I’ve had each ankles and each shoulders changed. I’ve had hip surgical procedure and three abdomen surgical procedures. I’ve put my physique by means of hell. It’s fairly intense. However I don’t remorse a factor. I needed to take this yr off from wrestling due to my third abdomen surgical procedure, however I’m actually wanting ahead to getting again into it.
My family and friends settle for it now and I’ve been recognised domestically in my house city – Hinckley in Leicester – in addition to nationally with the Delight of Britain and British Citizen Awards and being invited to Downing Road. It’s all nice and good to be recognised indirectly, however I might commerce all of it to see the look on the face of somebody we now have helped.
