No one should be missing from the story.

That's something we believe deeply at Diverse City.

It's something I believe deeply too.

So much so, apparently, that I've agreed to be strapped to the top of a biplane.

On 6 September, that's exactly where you'll find me.

Outside.

In the wind.

At several thousand feet.

I still can't quite believe I typed that sentence.

But here's why...

For 20 years, Diverse City has been making space for more people to create, perform and belong.

I've seen what happens when more people are part of making theatre. Different perspectives. Different lived experiences. Different ways of creating.

The result isn't "inclusive theatre"... it's simply brilliant theatre.

Audiences change.

Artists develop.

Expectations shift.

We all benefit when more people can create, perform and belong.

That doesn't happen by accident.

It takes investment.

It takes access built in from the very beginning—not bolted on at the end.

It takes believing in artists before everyone else does.

It takes creating spaces where different people, experiences and ideas come together to make work that none of us could make alone.

That's the work Diverse City has been doing for the last 20 years.

And it's the work I want to help continue.

It didn't feel right to ask other people to do something extraordinary...

...without being prepared to do something that scares me a little too.

So here we are.

I'm hoping to raise £1,000 to help create more opportunities for artists, more joyful experiences, and more stories that might never have been told otherwise.

If you're able to sponsor me, I'd be hugely grateful.

And if reading this makes you think,

"Actually... I've always fancied doing something a little bit bonkers..."

I'd love that too.

The brilliant thing about our £20k for 20 Years campaign is that there's no right way to take part.

Yes, you could strap yourself to the top of an aeroplane...

...but you definitely don't have to!

You could host a disco in your kitchen and ask your friends to donate.

Dance for an hour.

Bake cakes.

Walk a hill.

Swim in the sea.

Put on a quiz.

Do that thing you've always said you'd do "one day".

Or invent something completely new.

Fundraising doesn't have to be terrifying.

Sometimes it's simply an excuse to bring people together, have a laugh, try something different and do a little good along the way.

So whether you're sponsoring me, cheering from the ground, or dreaming up your own challenge...

Thank you.

This is about possibility. About ambition.

About making theatre that couldn't exist any other way.

Let's make the next 20 years even bolder than the first.

(And if anyone has any tips for looking vaguely composed while standing on top of an aeroplane, I'd love to hear them.)