FROM a speedboat to a Mini Cooper, there are few things John Evans has not balanced on top of his head. 

The granddad-of-three has spent the last 30 years lifting supersized objects, raising over £250,000 for charity in the process.

He’s no intention of slowing down either – despite being 74 with only one functioning eye, angina, asthma and diabetes, which also affects his sight. 

On March 31st – John’s 75th birthday – he intends to break his 100th record by lifting a 5ft tall by 5ft wide crown that weighs 11st – to anoint himself “the king of head balancing”.

The pensioner recognised his unusual talent at 18 years old while working on a building site, when he came up with a clever way to carry more bricks than his colleagues.

John recalls: “We used to use a v-shaped thing on a pole called a hod.

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"You could get 12 bricks in there and carry it up the ladder to the two bricklayers.

“But that didn’t keep them going for long so I used a piece of floorboard that could stack between 20 and 24 bricks and balanced it on my head.

“At first I had to hold onto the board, but in no time I could let go and was able to run up the ladders because both of my hands were free.

“Back then we were paid by the amount of houses we could put up, and I used to keep three bricklayers going. We all made plenty of money."

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Balancing washing machines

John went on to become a bricklayer himself and his skill went unused for decades until he was asked to do some charity work at 42 years old.

While trying to work out how he could help, his mind flashed back to his younger days and he decided to balance 36 bricks on his head for charity.

The stunt received a lot of donations and publicity. Soon John was being flown around the world to lift big, unusual items. 

He says: “I’ve balanced everything on my head – washing machines, big fridge freezers, bunk beds, scaffolding towers, pints of beer, women, children.

“Over the last 30 years, I've balanced almost everything you can think of."

blown off and I wouldn’t have been able to get out from underneath it. It would have killed me

Some of John’s highlights have been his most deadly feats – including a 25st Mini Cooper for the 40th anniversary of The Tonight Show in 1994.

He recalls: “They could have had anyone in the world on the show but they chose me.

“I was smack in the middle of the car, which was 10ft long and 5ft wide and it was no easy task. 

“If something went wrong or there was a bit of wind, it would have blown off and I wouldn’t have been able to get out from underneath it. It would have killed me.

“In Hollywood I balanced 11 beer kegs on my head, which weighed 25st and was 11ft tall. I managed to do it for 17 or 18 seconds and broke a Guinness World Record.”

'Thick' at school to world-famous

It’s stunts like those that allowed John – who described himself as “a thick-un at school” – to travel the world.

He’s been to Hollywood and Japan 12 times, as well as visiting Shanghai, Singapore, Taiwan, Chile and New York.

John’s balanced large items including a replica of Doctor Who’s Tardis, a 25st 2lb speed boat, a 25st 9lb quad bike and two washing machines.

There are more unusual things too, like 1,710 eggs, 548 footballs, 429 cans of Guinness, 300 loaves of bread, 273 glasses, 98 milk crates and nine dustbins.  

In 1997, he appeared on The National Lottery Show where he carried 101 bricks, which weighed nearly 30st – and claims to have lifted at least 1,000 people.

One of John’s favourite stunts involved having 96 people on his head in an hour. He lifted them, carried them three metres and balanced them for 10 seconds each.

He considered it a “tremendous achievement” because he claims they collectively weighed more than five tonnes.

John has never visited a gym and sticks to practicing at home where he hoists items six feet into the air before lowering onto his head and balancing them.

Deadly health problems won't stop me

Last year, John feared his days as a performer were over after being rushed into hospital with heart problems and later being diagnosed with angina. 

He says: “I thought, ‘That’s it now, I’m done. If I can’t do it then I can’t’ – I was on about 15 tablets a day and they knocked me for six, I couldn’t do anything.

“But then I started doing little bits, walking around the house and started to get my balance back, so I thought I would try to lift things on my head again.

“Earlier this year I managed to balance one tonne on my head in one hour – by having 10st of food inside a trolley that I lifted 16 times.

“Then I balanced 380 toilet rolls on my head to raise money for the homeless in Nottinghamshire and gave them the toilet paper because it’s a big commodity.”

John Evans’ catalogue of heavy lifting

Here are just a few of the things John has lifted over the years…

11 beer kegs weighing 345lb

101 bricks 

96 milk crates

Two popstars weighing 28st

237 pint glasses

429 cans of Guinness, weigh in excess of 385lb

548 footballs, weighing 335lb,

204 Guinness World Record books, weighing 318lb and 49in tall

Two girls on bikes, weighing 374lb

96 people in one hour, one every 37 seconds, weighing more than five tonnes

Speed boat, weighing 352lb

American fridge, weighing 297lb

Two washing machines, weighing 150kg

300 loaves of bread

345lb motorcycle

363lb quad

Six oil drums and seven tables

20st od pet food on board with 22ft flag pole,

1,710 fresh eggs, 118.63kg

70kg washing machine fo 23m 7secs

15 trays and 60 rice bowls

A tardis replica

11 tyres on head for 10 secs

275 glasses

9 dustbins

One Mini Cooper weighing 162kg

Inspired by Captain Tom

John took inspiration from Captain Sir Tom Moore, who stole the nation’s heart during lockdown when he finished 100 laps of his back garden to mark reaching one century, raising millions for charity.

He says: “I have absolute full admiration for Captain Tom and thought what he did was amazing. I hope to raise as much money as I can – hopefully as much as he did.

“I want to use my disabilities to inspire people. I’m 74, have a glass eye and all of these health problems but I keep on going.

“I’ve had to reduce what I can lift now and can only carry up to 100 kilos (15st) on my head. I’m not in my prime anymore!

“People are blown away and can’t believe what they are seeing. Often they ask, ‘How do I make it look so easy when it’s death-defying?’

“I’m obviously strong but not overly strong. I don’t have big muscles and have never been to the gym. I developed a strong neck and balance over my lifetime. 

“I hope I can inspire others to get up and do things and raise lots of money in the process.”

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To donate to John fundraiser, which will help the blind and partially sighted, visit: www.gofundme.com/f/head-balancer-john-evans-fundraising-event 

For more information visit: www.headbalancer.com/ 

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