700 Primary Students' Sandwich-Making Event Nearly Triggers Stampede; Garden Apologises Publicly: "Humbly Accept Criticism"

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Local bakery company "Garden" held a "Largest Sandwich-Making Lesson" world record challenge on Sunday, with over 700 students participating. Chaos broke out during dispersal, the school hall door handle was torn off, and some parents described it as nearly triggering a "stampede." The event organiser Garden issued a statement on social media the following evening (12 October), publicly apologising to affected parents and students. The Education Bureau replied that the involved SKH Tang Shiu Kin Secondary School had carefully considered the nature and purpose of the activity, as well as the venue's capacity, when renting out its school facilities.

🙇 Garden: Deeply Sorry, Reiterates No One Injured

Garden stated in its statement that it is very concerned about the situation during dispersal at the end of the "Largest Sandwich-Making Lesson" event. It explained that about 700 students participated, and the response was more enthusiastic than expected, causing the process and dispersal time to be delayed beyond schedule. On-site crowd flow and parent pick-up arrangements could not be optimised, leading to excessively long waiting times. "We are deeply sorry for the affected parents and children." The statement continued that in response to the unexpected situation, frontline staff were on site to assist, arranging students to leave safely in stages and providing support. It reiterated that there was absolutely no "stampede" or "fight" as rumoured online, no one was injured, and "all students returned safely to their parents."

📋 Claims to Review Seriously to Prevent Recurrence

Garden stressed in the statement that it attaches great importance to every participant's safety and experience, and has proactively contacted all parents to gather feedback. Facing shortcomings in organisation, the team is conducting a serious review and humbly accepting criticism. It will examine procedures and related measures to prevent similar situations from recurring. The statement also mentioned that "Garden has accompanied Hong Kong for nearly a century; everyone's safety, trust and laughter are always our most cherished core values," thanking all sectors for their valuable opinions, tolerance, understanding and support, and extending its most sincere gratitude to participating students and parents, describing the feat of breaking the Guinness World Record as highly meaningful.

🏫 Education Bureau: School Had Carefully Considered Activity Nature and Capacity

The Education Bureau replied that the involved SKH Tang Shiu Kin Secondary School operated as normal today. The school had carefully considered the nature and purpose of the activity, as well as the venue's capacity, when renting out its school facilities to an external organisation for the event. However, the authorities did not disclose the hall's maximum capacity.