Heidi Crowter is amazing.
The 26-year-old lives in Coventry, UK, and has a very impressive talent: a phenomenal memory for birthdays, which won her the affectionate nickname of "Birthday Queen".
Having sharpened her memory skills with months of rehearsing, when Heidi attempted the record for most celebrity birthdays identified in three minutes (II) she was confident she would get a high number on her first go.
Heidi is a campaigner for the UK charity Mencap and has Down's Syndrome. Her attempt fell under the impairment classification, which allows competitive records to be created and monitored to encourage a fair and inclusive playing field for record breakers.
For this record, Guinness World Records partnered with Mencap to celebrate Learning Disability Week.
From the get go, it seemed clear that Heidi was excited and ready to smash the challenge.
"I was born ready," she said just before attempting the record.
But her confidence and hard work paid off: during the very first try, Heidi smashed the record by achieving way, way more than the required minimum of 25.
“I love a challenge so, if I can set a world record, I know that means I can do anything I set my mind to. Bring it on!” - Heidi Crowter
The rules of the attempt were simple, but not less challenging.
In only three minutes, Heidi's mother Liz would call out names from a randomized list of a hundred celebrities. Heidi was asked to identify the correct birthday (day and month) for each of the celebrities named by her mum.
Proving her memory skills under the attentive eyes of the official Guinness World Records adjudicator, Pravin Patel, Heidi fired out date after date with incredible confidence: she thought over the answer for a split second before replying, and managed to rack up an impressive number of correct replies.
She didn't miss or misremember a single name, working her way up the list with amazing cool-headedness.
Months of rehearsals to hone her memory paid off in those nail-biting, adrenaline-filled minutes.
“I think it went well. It was easy, and I think I’ve done at least 70 right,” she said right after the record.
But was Heidi's guess correct?
Once again proving her talent for numbers, Heidi's estimate was correct: greatly surpassing the minimum of 25, she racked up a total of 70 celebrities correctly identified in just three minutes.
From notable royals like Queen Elizabeth II (21 April and Second Saturday of June) to singer and actress Idina Menzel (29 May), continuing with American actor Dick Van Dyke (13 December), Heidi was confidently working her way through the list without missing a single name.
Throughout the attempt, she remained incredibly focused.
“I am very proud of myself for sharing my joy of birthdays with people," Heidi said. "I have been writing a birthday list and practising a lot; everyone knows that practice makes perfect."
For many months, she trained during her free time by repeating celebrities and birthdays while in the car.
During this journey to become Officially Amazing, Heidi (who is deeply involved in the disability rights movement) was supported by her beloved husband James, who also has Down’s Syndrome, and her family.
“The birthday I could never forget is Tom Cruise, on 3 July,” Heidi confesses. “It’s my same day.”
“And I’ve had this memory for birthdays from the day I was born,” she goes on explaining.
Her mother Liz remembers that Heidi used to have a birthday diary where she wrote down all the birthdays - now, she even reminds her neighbours and friends of notable dates they might have forgotten!
Heidi is also a passionate disability rights campaigner, and she made headlines thanks to her efforts while advocating for the campaign Don't Screen Us Out.
She was named as one of the BBC's Top 100 Women of the year in 2022, and she is one of the Mencap Myth Busters for Mencap UK, a charity that supports people with learning disabilities and their families.
"Just believe in yourself, and you can do it!" - Heidi
Just like Heidi, who continuously dismantles stereotypes and fights to rectify the perception of people with Down's Syndrome in a society that often relies on stigmatized misconceptions, Mencap’s Myth Busters are amazing individuals.
They act across their different fields of expertise and actively bust myths around people with learning disabilities, giving a voice to those who can’t speak.
From models and dancers to sports coaches and campaigners, Mencap’s Myth Busters aim to show the world what living with a learning disability really means and looks like.
And Heidi, through her amazing achievement and brand new world record, once again made her voice heard loud and clear.
As she thoroughly proved with her achievement, Heidi loves everything that revolves around cinema and celebrities.
Her favourite movie at the moment is Disney’s latest remake of The Little Mermaid (US, 2023), which she's already seen twice at the cinema.
In the future, we are sure that she will continue to discover new movies and increase her list of birthdays.
For now, however, Heidi says that she'll celebrate her record with a glass of wine and a relaxing bubble bath!
Envisioned as part of a larger initiative, her record kicks off the celebrations for Learning Disability Week.
Running between 19 and 25 June, Learning Disability Week is an initiative entirely dedicated to inclusivity and learning, showcasing the incredible talents of people with learning disabilities - who, every day, face misconceptions and social stigma.
For this occasion, Guinness World Records has partnered with the UK Charity Mencap under the impairment’s initiative (II): the initiative allows people with impairments to have a go at breaking Guinness World Records titles with reasonable adjustments.
Ensuring a level playing field when attempting a Guinness World Records title, such reasonable adjustments promote inclusivity while allowing talents to shine.
“The opportunity to become a record holder and be the best in the world at something must be open to absolutely everyone,” says Guinness World Records Editor-in-Chief Craig Glenday.
“We’re proud to be working with Mencap to spread this message far and wide: we want to celebrate people of all abilities, and showcase them in a book that offers a true snapshot of our gloriously diverse world.” - Craig Glenday
"Learning Disability Week is a chance to celebrate the 1.5 million people in the UK with a learning disability and to challenge the misconceptions that often surround them," Mencap writes in their release.
"These attempts show the world what people with a learning disability can do."
With her record, Heidi "Birthday Queen" Crowter has surely kicked off Mencap's week with an incredible success, and is busting incorrect myths about people with learning disabilities one birthday at a time.
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