A Manc free climber has apparently completed his latest challenge by scaling the tallest building in the UK over the weekend.
Adam Lockwood may already be known for his daredevil challenges that aren’t for the faint-hearted, but the 21-year-old looks to have taken on one of his biggest missions yet when he shared a selfie of him standing precariously-close to the edge of the iconic 72-floor 310m (1,016ft) The Shard building to Facebook in the early hours of yesterday morning.
The Wigan lad not only scaled the skyscraper barefoot, but he even managed to surprise a couple from the Isle of Man who were staying on the building’s 40th floor.
Paul Curphey and his partner Treasaidh were surprised by someone “waving at the window”.
The couple were staying in The Shard for a birthday gift when Paul snapped a picture of Lockwood from out the window of their hotel room.
Mr Carphey said Lockwood was “yelling in a celebratory fashion” when they spotted him “waving at the window, 40 floors up, already in the deep end so to speak.”
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The couple said they “couldn’t help but urge him on to complete his mission.”
“He was smiling, waving, and having the time of his life,” Mr Carphey added, “it was scary to see, but his happy demeanour was amazingly uplifting.”
Manc free climber scales The Shard and surprises couple staying on 40th floor / Credit: RawPixel
Following the event, it has been confirmed that the Metropolitan police were called to the 1,017ft (310m) skyscraper at 5.38am, and the London fire brigade and London ambulance service also attended – with three men arrested.
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One, a 21-year-old, thought to be Lockwood, was arrested on suspicion of trespass and two others were held on suspicion of causing public nuisance.
This isn’t the first time Lockwood has attempted previous stunts, of course, as many will remember he grabbed headlines for posing as a construction worker in order to scale and hang off the tallest crane in Dubai earlier this summer.
He has also notably dangled from the 80-metre San Siro stadium in Milan back in April, and later scaled the famous glass pyramid at the Louvre in Paris to take a selfie.
In the past, he has also grabbed headlines for scaling Arndale Food Court in Manchester city centre during a Black Lives Matter protest on 7 June 2020, and then just a few days later, he dangled from the edge of a 600ft balcony at the Madison Building in London’s Canary Wharf – with video footage of both instances uploaded to the internet.
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Back in August 2020, Lockwood was handed a suspended sentence and narrowly avoided jail after breaching a Manchester City Council injunction, and “continuing to risk his life” by “dangerously scaling” tall buildings.
The simple hack that can save healthcare workers and teachers money on their holidays
Danny Jones
With cost-of-living pressure ever-present in the background of most everyday lives, finding some spare pennies for a getaway feels more difficult than ever, and if there’s anyone who deserves discounts on a holiday, it’s healthcare workers.
That’s why, when we became aware of the simple hack that can save those working in healthcare services money on holidays, we thought we’d help spread the word.
We’re sure lots of you working within the sector already know plenty about this booking strategy, but for anyone who doesn’t, how do you fancy saving up to half a grand on your next jolly?
In fact, even those working in education can cut their costs, too.
With searches for ‘holiday voucher code’ up by 73% on Google, and even the likes of TikTok seeing ‘money saving tips’ up by 45%, travel agency TUI have decided to team up with the Health Service Discounts platform for 2026.
Providing those who work for the NHS with a ‘Holidays for Heroes’ (HfH) access code on various popular peak-season trips, this exclusive discount can be added on top of all other seasonal TUI deals, including the company’s ‘First Choice’ package holidays.
With the HfH code alone guaranteeing workers an extra £100 off their bookings, play your cards right, and you could get up to £500 in total discounts overall.
How to access the healthcare ‘Holidays for Heroes’ deal
Separate from standard Blue Light card savings, here’s how it works, and don’t worry, it’s all very simple:
As mentioned, education workers can also benefit from similar money off, with an extra £50 per person through the TUI x Discounts for Teachers partnership, as well.
Ella Foden-Lynch, Partnerships Manager for TUI, said in a statement: “Getting away is absolutely vital for wellbeing, especially for those working in high-stress healthcare and education roles.
“With the cost-of-living crisis still putting a strain on household budgets, we know how hard it is to stretch your pay to cover a much-needed family break. By unlocking these exclusive TUI deals, we hope to give our key workers the realistic recovery time they deserve without the financial worry.”
So, for those of you healthcare heroes and teachers looking for a well-deserved break, we urge you to find an affordable holiday that suits you very soon. With cheaper airport pints also inbound later this year, here’s hoping you save even more spends for when you’re away.
The new James Bond game is full of Easter eggs – including a nod to Manchester United
Danny Jones
Even if you’re not a big gamer, you may have seen that a rather popular new James Bond game recently dropped: 007 First Light – and if you’ve played it yourself, you will have no doubt come across many Easter eggs and references throughout, including one to Manchester United.
As we happen to be currently playing it for ourselves, we’ll admit that hearing any mention of our hometown or even just quintessentially UK nods that any Brit would enjoy was likely to result in putting a grin on our faces.
That being said, apart from whenever the next FIFA—sorry, EA Sports FC drops, we weren’t expecting to hear Man United brought up in one of the biggest video games of the year.
In fact, we’re going to go out on a limb and say that nobody has this on their 2026 bingo card.
Credit: @CaptPierce93 via r/Manchester (screenshots shared to Reddit)
It may just be a slightly tongue-in-cheek throwaway line in a cutscene, but it’s still been enjoyed by many around the world.
As player ‘CaptPierce93’ writes in his caption of his Reddit post sharing the snippet: “The game has a good splash of product placements that don’t get overwhelming; an earlier portion of the game even has radio chatter of a Manchester City and Liverpool match as well.”
He’s right as well: we’ve come across lots of different little interesting nuggets and cameos during our limited playtime, and it’s safe to say we’re looking forward to seeing what else we can spot.
While any Mancunian or true, dyed-in-the-wool United fan will no doubt squirm a little at the use of ‘Man U‘ (we’re thinking like when people ‘Manny’), it’s still pretty cool nonetheless.
You can see the specific scene in full down below.
Such a surreal few seconds.
There’s something very satisfying about hearing ‘Greenway’ – played by recognisable British actor Lennie James (Snatch, The Walking Dead, Blade Runner 2049) – utter the words “Stretford End”.
And before you ask, no, he isn’t a Red: the South Londoner is a Spurs fan and is also said to have a soft spot for Valencia, as it happens.
We’re pretty sure there aren’t any other Manc references to keep your eye out for, but we’ll let you know if we stumble upon more as we continue playing the game.
There’s something about videogame Easter eggs, in-jokes and refs like these that we never tire of; you just never know what little tidbits are going to inspire someone…
The Manc -
5th September 2022 
