See the video now at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVI8OhSYoAM&feature=plcp

And read the story below the fold.

Richard Pulford was a good friend who died in August 2011. Many others knew and loved him and appreciated his enjoyment of life, the quality of his work, his clarity of thought and his humour. On 1st August 2012 I made a parachute jump to raise monies for charities which benefitted from his work with them or from which he obtained support and care.

Richard was a passionate advocate for supporting the next generation of theatrical talent and for helping to bring fresh, exciting theatre to the commercial stage. As Chief Executive of the Society of London Theatre from 2001-2010, Richard also served as a trustee of Stage One.

So this is also your opportunity. The donations to Stage One that you make here will be used to support: the 3 day training workshop for new producers, which Richard used to speak at; the Start Up Fund, which invests in the most promising new producers coming through the Stage One programme; and the Bursary Scheme, which helps producers at the start of their careers to bring projects to the stage.

All donations made so far have been much appreciated by me and, importantly, Stage One. But there is still time to give and so, if you wish to, please - click on the link, donate to Stage One through your sponsorship and so help its work to continue.

Thank you.

The jump was from 12,000 feet -and it went well enough that I was presented with a certificate to confirm that I successfully completed it.

I got down to Headcorn Airfield at 9.35am and went up at 15.35pm. 14 people went up in a Cessna - 3 tandem teams, and 8 solo jumpers. The tandems left the plane after the solo jumpers - 'The Tigers', the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment Parachute Display Team. Unlike them, I was not carrying a red rose, which members of the Princess of Wales's do annually on 1st August to commemorate the participation of the forerunners of the regiment in the Battle of Minden in 1759, nor was I clutching one between my teeth.

I screamed, as instructed, when I left the Cessna. The 30 seconds or so of free-fall - approx 6,500 feet, I believe - passed without the need to think. The sudden deceleration when the main chute opened was an occasion of some discomfort, but both the peace and the view were pleasant and we then drifted down in a controlled fashion to a textbook landing on our backsides. As I say in the video, I can now understand why people jump regularly, but am not certain that I will want to.

Martin Huber

Stage One is the charity that supports producers in order to sustain the future of quality commercial theatre in this country. The organisation helps new theatre producers via training workshops, bursaries, industry Apprenticeships, Start-Up investment, mentoring and advice. It assists established producers by investing in productions and advising on investment standards for the Theatre Industry.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with them – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to Stage One and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate. Stage One pays a 5% fee on donations (which JustGiving takes from the Gift Aid it reclaims or from your donation, if your donation isn’t eligible for Gift Aid) and in return it receives more money, more efficiently.