A SKILFUL Colchester teenager looks to have set a new Guinness World Record... by folding 1,000 origami cranes in just over nine and-a-half hours.

Evelyne Chia, 15, has been training for six months in preparation for the challenge, which she completed at her parents restaurant Chinatown on Tuesday.

And she has raised more than £2,300 to support healthcare workers whilst managing to get her name in the record books.

The Colchester County High School for Girls student said: “I wanted to do a fundraiser as I have a long summer as I’ve just finished my GCSEs.

“I have been planning it for a long time and training for six months.

“I wanted to do something which would grab people’s attention and was a bit different.

“So I thought I would give breaking a Guinness World Record a go.

“There is a significance to 1,000 cranes.

“There is an ancient Japanese legend which says if you fold 1,000 you can make a wish to the Gods and it will come true.

“Lots of people do it but normally it would take about a year to fold 1,000.”

Evelyne was told the previous record for folding 1,000 cranes was about 12 hours.

Here is a video of her in action:

She complete her challenge in nine hours and 31 minutes, shaving almost two and-a-half hours off the time.

Equipment was set up at the restaurant to record and help verify her attempt, which still has to be confirmed officially as an official Guinness World Record.

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Evelyne said: “I completed it in 9 hours and 31 minutes so I think I’ve smashed the previous record but it still needs to go through approval.

“I have got a whole day of paperwork and editing to do now.”

Evelyne is an experienced origamist but her incredible record attempt was still a step up from anything she had tried before.

She said: “I have been doing origami since I was really young. My mum taught me.

“In practise I was doing six hour stints and I seemed to be on track.

“However, I did get really tired towards the end.

“I didn’t eat, drink or take a break at all the whole time.

“In the last hour I had an origami professional Zoom call me and she was supporting me through it which really helped.”

She wanted to raise money for NHS Charities Together to help support healthcare workers who have worked so hard during the pandemic.

So far she has raised £2,310 - more than doubling her initial target of £1,000.

Evelyne said: “It is way more than I thought.

“My initial target was £500 but my parents convinced me to increased that to £1,000.

“I am so grateful to everyone who has donated.”

Donate at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/papercrane.