John Parker, Arboricultural Association CEO, presents Charlie Graham with his prize for second place
Eleven-year-old Charlie Graham took second place in the knot-tying competition at ARB Show with an incredible time of 13.81 seconds, and the video of his amazing feat has been viewed more than 14 million times!
That’s by far the most viewed piece of content in the history of the Association, and it has even been reshared on viral social media content channels like ‘Ladbible’.
Charlie, who is the son of Northamptonshire-based Mat Graham of VMS Ltd, was shown how to tie the five knots for the first time that morning – marlin spike, Prusik loop, figure of 8, sheet bend and bowline. He had just a few hours’ practice and his best time was only beaten by Jay Parker. Jay, who also won last year’s event, took first place with an amazing time of just 7.82 seconds. Wow!
Mat is himself a multi-time winner of the competition, which has become a huge part of the ARB Show. Until Jay in 2023, no one had been able to beat Mat’s times for the best part of a decade: he often completed all five knots in 18 seconds or less. For the last two years Mat has volunteered to run the competition and offer his expert advice to competitors.
He said, ‘I thought this year the show was amazing and have absolutely loved being a part of it. Having the opportunity to bring my family on the Saturday was really nice and this is the first time they have all visited. Obviously having Charlie involved with stand and then setting the times that he did was amazing. He truly has ignited a passion for knot tying and can’t wait to come back next year.
‘It has been amazing to see how popular the video has been on social media, and we couldn’t be prouder parents for his achievement. None of this would have been possible without the ARB Show and the Association allowing me to be involved, so thank you.’
You can follow Charlie on Charlie.arb.knot on TikTok and Charlie-arb-knot on YouTube.
This article was taken from Issue 206 Autumn 2024 of the ARB Magazine, which is available to view free to members by simply logging in to the website and viewing your profile area.