The invention relates to a lifting apparatus and in particular to lifting apparatus suitable for lifting casing and pipes for the offshore oil and gas industries. A lifting apparatus (10) is disclosed which comprises a pair of lifting members (13) and an actuator (16). In use, the weight of the actuator imparts a lateral force to the lifting members thereby increasing a lateral separation between distal ends of the lifting members, to move the apparatus from a storage position to an operating position, for lifting a length of casing (30). The lifting members may be rigid or may include a sling (12) and a rigid sling guide (14).
