UPDATE: Hurrah! After three bad weather postponements at the end of 2013, I finally jumped - and landed the right way up - on 9 March. A small selection of photos and a video are below; more info at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqFnkwihaX4&feature=youtu.be

Huge thanks from me, Niamh and WAC to all those who sponsored me. And if you were waiting to see whether I survived, then it’s not too late to donate by clicking the button above.

THANK YOU!

The background:

For years I have been saying how I'd love to do a parachute jump. My daughter Niamh has called my bluff by giving me a Red Letter Day experience of a tandem SkyDive from (gulp) 10,000 feet. I shall exit the aircraft on 25 October 2013. All being well, I shall land feet first a few minutes later.

When she is not being a TV/stage actress Niamh works with the charity organisation WAC (www.wacarts.co.uk), using her drama skills to develop a range of young people. Through drama she motivates and inspires socially disadvantaged youngsters, educates those with learning difficulties, and stimulates communication with and participation by severely disabled young adults. Full details are at www.wacarts.co.uk/what-we-do. (Niamh's main work is with Wonder WAC and Junior WAC.) I am, quite frankly, in awe of what she does and achieves.

WAC have been the victims of the recent economic recession, suffering some quite savage public funding cuts, including the loss of their Arts Council grant. As a result of those funding cuts, they have had to suspend some of their core programmes and turn away many young people who really need and would benefit from their support. However, such is the spirit of the team at WAC Arts, they have declared their determination "to emerge stronger than ever and to nurture a new generation of young people to develop their talents, gain new skills and build positive futures". They have therefore launched a huge fund-raising campaign. 

What better way to repay my daughter's, er, kindness to me than by raising money for WAC to support her extraordinary extra-curricular work with vulnerable children and young adults? Please therefore sponsor my SkyDive, whether with pennies or pounds, so that I can take comfort in my helping to make a difference as I hurtle towards the ground...

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity. And of course, as the jump has already been paid for by Niamh, I can guarantee that 100% of all money raised will go to WAC.

Thank you!

Martin/Doc