Exclusive Interview by Caroline Oswald
North Shields has a new local legend — Headstand Mike. Known for turning the town upside-down (literally), he’s on a mission to complete 800 headstands to celebrate the 800th anniversary of North Shields. In this exclusive interview with Caroline Oswald for I Love North Shields, Mike shares how the challenge began, his favourite headstand spots, and what comes next.
Who is Headstand Mike?
Before 2025, he was simply known as ‘Mike’. Now recognised by locals everywhere as ‘Headstand Mike’, he is nearly half way through his ambitious quest to celebrate the 800th anniversary of North Shields by completing 800 headstands in various locations around the town. ILNS caught up with Mike at the Loading Bay on the ground floor of the Salt Market building to find out how his madcap mission started, what the highlights have been and where it will take him next!
Fresh from an interview with the BBC earlier that day, Mike marvels at how this simple idea has taken the town by storm: “The positive reaction has been astounding. I never thought it would turn out like this.” We had been among the onlookers as the TV cameras rolled and the local love for Mike was evident: “I was most surprised by how many older people recognised me. I didn’t think that many would be on social media!” What started as a fun physical stunt has come to mean much more. With each headstand, Mike is shining a light on North Shields and sharing all its beauty, quirkiness, culture and community spirit with the wider world.
How the 800 Headstands Challenge Began
Mike learned to do headstands at a young age: “I did gymnastics and judo as a child. I’ve always had a strong core – and a thick neck!” He soon discovered the entertainment value of this particular party piece and has continued to perform it throughout his adult life, often fuelled by a bit of Dutch courage and urged on by friends. It was on one such occasion that the 800-headstands idea was born, when Mike was on his way home from the opening night of Jim Moir’s art exhibition at the Biscuit Factory last June. Giddy from the canapés and creative energy, Mike launched into a spontaneous headstand on top of a large sculpture, much to the delight of his companions, some of whom were members of the ILNS team. He then tentatively put forward the suggestion that he could perform 800 more throughout the year to celebrate the anniversary of North Shields (this first one in Heaton did not count). The idea was met with such a rapturous reception that he had no choice but to commit: “I knew there were all sorts of activities planned to mark the town’s anniversary and I wanted to get involved.”
Headstands Across North Shields
Originally from North Norfolk but having grown up in Wallsend, Mike moved to North Shields seven years ago: “A lot of my friends already lived here. It’s such a beautiful area and it’s becoming more so, with a lot of changes over the past couple of years – The Salt Market and the new walkway, the regeneration of Howard Street and the Cultural Quarter, and now Bedford Street.” So far, Mike has been spotted in all of these locations and more, balancing on his head in precarious positions on top of bins, staircases, fences, gateposts and statue plinths: “One of my first and favourite headstands was on a cannon at Collingwood’s Monument.” He even managed to scale a small brick building on the Fish Quay and flip over on its roof without falling in the river! So what are the perfect headstand conditions? “Ideally there should be a flat, wide base, not too nobbly and with something to grab onto. I like doing them on pillar boxes – I’d like to do more of them.” Some places are just not suitable, for example the corners of handrails where there is not enough base. “I’ve tried at the Stan Laurel statue but I can’t get near enough because of the fence around it.” It sometimes hurts his head, especially when he does a lot in a row or when he wears his hat with a hard bit in the middle. Thankfully a kind friend has now donated a special headstand pillow for him to use.
Charities and Community Impact
Mike’s challenge has coincided with a general cultural explosion in the town. He has made appearances at many interesting events including ILNS photo walks, the Elevation Mural Festival and live music performances: “A lot of incomers are contributing to positive change and driving progress in the area. It has quite a cosmopolitan feel.” The headstands are more than just a bit of fun – Mike is raising money for the charities Live Well With Cancer and Recharge At John’s Place. He also helps to showcase community venues such as The Meadows as well as local businesses, providing them with much needed exposure. He is full of ideas for the future: “A raffle could be held and the prize could be me turning up and doing a headstand!” We talk about headstand wedding photos, headstand-a-grams, headstand pub crawls and world-record attempts at skateboarding headstands. Suddenly he produces a skateboard and proceeds to glide across the floor of the Loading Bay on his head, narrowly missing the unsuspecting people exiting the lift! That one is going to take some practice.
Headstand Mike at ILNS LIVE
Clearly, Mike sees no limits when it comes to turning on his head. An accomplished sailor, having joined the Tynemouth Sea Scouts at a young age after being inspired by his grandad who built a wherry boat on the Norfolk broads, he hinted at possible future headstands at sea. So far Mike has performed 310 headstands in honour of North Shields’ 800th year. He is hoping to complete his 400th at our ILNS LIVE event on 5th of October, where he is organising a mass headstand flash mob at 12:00 on the walkway in front of the Salt Market: “It’s just a way of getting everyone together.” Mike maintains that the main impact of the headstand challenge on his life is the amount of people he has got to know. “It also takes up quite a bit of time!” It certainly must be tricky to fit in all the headstands alongside his work and caring responsibilities.
What’s Next for Headstand Mike?
Will he continue after the 800th year is over and the challenge is complete? “I’d like to take it further afield. The headstands have already gained some attention in Australia – I’d love to do one on Sydney Harbour Bridge! I will always be doing headstands till I die. They’ll have to bury me upside-down with my feet sticking out of the ground!”
Follow Mike here: https://www.instagram.com/headstand_mike/
