Getting into the Guiness Book of Records may sound like a big challenge but it should not be for this willing bunch, not by a long chalk.

They were all part of a wacky world record attempt at Firle Place, near Lewes, yesterday and may well have earned their place in the history books.

Dozens of children and adults flocked to the stately home to add chalk drawings to hundreds being etched on the house's mile long driveway.

During a five hour artistic marathon the road in the shadow of the South Downs was completely covered with brightly covered doodles and messages.

Watch our video of the record attempt

Among those taking part was Ross Chalk, 29, who had come from Eastbourne with his sons Harvey, four, and Bradley, three.

Mr Chalk said: "Obviously with a name like Chalk we couldn't really miss coming to something like this.

"The drive is looking fantastic. We've done a few drawings but the main one is of a horse, which we've done as a memorial to my nan Joyce Chalk who died three weeks ago. It seemed like a fitting tribute for her."

Organisers said Firle Place's owner Lord Gage had offered up the driveway to be used after being approached by villagers in Firle.

They said the project, dubbed the Long Chalk Road, was their contribution to the nationwide Big Draw campaign, aimed at getting more people drawing.

The contributors to the Long Chalk Road will not find out whether their world record bid has been successful for several weeks, as video footage of the end result is sent off to Guiness officials to assess.

For the effort to win a place in the book of records judges must be satisfied that the drawings cover enough of the width of the drive all the way along its length.

Organiser Kate Macairt, from Firle, said: "It has gone fantastically. This all started as a harebrained idea I had and now its a reality. There are drawings stretching from the entrance all the way to the house.

"We don't know whether we've got the record yet but we're very hopeful."

She said the attempt had also raised £2,000 for charity the Wishing Tree Trust, in Lewes, and added that it was hoped it would become a weekend festival next year.

HOW FAR WILL YOU GO TO GET A WORLD RECORD? Sussex has been home to a series of wacky world record attempts.

This Wednesday pupils and teachers at Wallands Primary School in Lewes will try to set a new record for the most people simultaneously "singing" in sign language at once.

In May an attempt to smash the record for the world's largest custard pie fight in Brighton had to be cancelled after 1,000 signed up to take part and Sussex Police raised concerns.

A year earlier bad weather put paid to the hopes of a record for the number of people bouncing on Space Hoppers at one time. The Hove Lawns event attracted scores of participants but not the hundreds hoped for.

One record which has been set was by fitness instructor Rob Smith, from Hurstpierpoint, near Burgess Hill, who rowed 100km non-stop on a rowing machine in under 24 hours.

In August 2007 Colombian tightrope artist Henri Ayala also wrote his name in the record books by balancing on a chair on a tight rope 70ft high over Hove Lawns with no safety net.