Editing Nelson's Column (section)

==Publicity stunts and protests==
[[John Noakes]] of the BBC TV children's programme ''[[Blue Peter]]'' climbed the column in 1977. Television presenter and entertainer [[Gary Wilmot]] climbed the column in 1989 for [[London Weekend Television|LWT]]'s ''Six O' Clock Show'' to recreate the 'topping out' ceremony of 1843. Dressed in Victorian attire and sporting a boater hat, Wilmot enjoyed tea and sandwiches at the top of the column before climbing down.

The column has also been climbed on several occasions as a [[publicity stunt]] to draw attention to social or political causes. Ed Drummond made the first such climb in 1978 for the [[Anti-Apartheid Movement]], making use of the lightning conductor ''en route''.<ref>{{cite news |last=Beresford |first=David |title=Anti-apartheid protestors make first ascent of Nelson's Column |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/oct/21/anti-apartheid-protestors-make-first-ascent-of-nelsons-column-1978 |work=The Guardian |date=21 October 2016 |access-date=31 May 2019}}</ref> On 30 March 1988, Joe Simpson and John Stevenson climbed the column as part of a [[Greenpeace]] Campaign against [[Acid rain]]. On 14 June 1992, it was climbed by Martin Cotterrel, Joe Simpson and John Stevenson on behalf of Greenpeace to protest against the first [[Earth Summit]] meeting in Brazil. On 13 April 1995, Simon Nadin free-climbed Nelson's Column with Noel Craine, [[Jerry Moffatt]] and [[Johnny Dawes]] following on top rope, and [[Grade (climbing)|graded]] the climb as "E6 6b/5a". This protest time was on behalf of [[Survival International]] to publicize the plight of Canadian [[Inuit]]. On 13 May 1998, the Column was climbed by Al Baker, Peter Morris and John Cunningham on behalf of Greenpeace to protest against Old growth logging activity in [[British Columbia]]. In May 2003, [[BASE jumping|BASE jumper]] and [[stunt performer|stuntman]] [[Gary Connery]] parachuted from the top of the column, in a stunt designed to draw attention to the Chinese policies in [[Tibet]].

In December 2015, [[Disney]] paid £24,000 to cover it in lights to make it resemble a giant lightsaber, to promote ''[[Star Wars: The Force Awakens]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/12055403/star-wars-the-force-awakens-Disney-pay-to-turn-Nelsons-Column-into-a-lightsaber.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151217100914/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/12055403/star-wars-the-force-awakens-Disney-pay-to-turn-Nelsons-Column-into-a-lightsaber.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 December 2015|title=Video: 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens': Disney pay £24,000 to turn Nelson's Column into a lightsaber |date=17 December 2015|work=Telegraph.co.uk}}</ref>

On 18 April 2016, in the early hours of the morning, Greenpeace activists climbed up the column and placed a breathing mask on Admiral Lord Nelson in protest of air pollution levels.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-36070182|title=Eight arrests after Greenpeace protesters scale London monuments|date=18 April 2016|publisher=BBC News}}</ref>