Tom Barkham, a school cover manager from Wroughton, might not be a household name in the darts world—yet—but after this weekend, he’s got a Guinness World Record (provisionally) with his name on it.
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Taking over The Carter’s Rest pub for 12 straight hours on Saturday, Barkham set out with a mammoth goal: 160,000 points on the dartboard. What he ended up with? A jaw-dropping 166,612.
Throwing darts, raising hearts
Not just a personal feat, the challenge was all in aid of Prospect Hospice, a local charity close to Barkham’s heart. With chalk dust flying and the crowd roaring him on, the amateur-level darts enthusiast delivered one of the most punishing pub performances Wiltshire has ever seen.
“My calves felt like concrete”
Speaking to the BBC after the epic shift, Barkham was brutally honest about the toll it took:
“It feels like someone injected concrete into my calves. My right arm is somewhat non-existent.”
It wasn’t all smooth sailing, either.
“I started off terribly, I think the nerves got to me,” he admitted. “At the end of the first hour, I was about 30 minutes ahead of schedule—but by 6pm I was taking my socks and shoes off to feel my feet again.”
Pub hero
When the pain kicked in, Barkham didn’t back down. He dug deep, found a second wind, and powered through. The crowd watched on as every throw brought him closer to the record—and by the end, he’d not only crushed his goal but raised crucial funds in the process.
Record? Tick. Charity? Tick. Local legend status? Definitely ticked.