TO leap from a 50ft building once is mad enough - but twice!

That is exactly what stuntman Jimmy Odee did at Broadstairs to raise money for charity with a sponsored leap from the top of his seaside hotel.

Hundreds of people gathered in Chandos Square, to watch the daredevil jump as Mr Odee leapt 16 feet out to clear the building and plummeted to an inflatable airbag below.

The performance was so popular that he responded to requests for an encore.

The stunt was carefully assessed with risk management experts to ensure there were no slip-ups.

Mr Odee, a veteran of countless death-defying escapades on television and cinema, said: "The jump did carry a risk - but these things are only wreckless if they are carried out without planning and by amateurs.”

Mr Odee is raising money for the ITP trust for the blood platelet deficiency, Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpera, a condition that affects a close family friend. He is also raising money for the Lupus Trust and MacMilliam Nurses.

He received backing from the Charles Dickens pub, business and individuals in the town, and the Ideas Unlimited promotions group, who all gave their time free.

Mr Odee, a commercial pilot at TG Aviation at Manston airport, got into stunt work and acting when he did film extra work as a member of the Territorial Army. He has progressed into the world of film and television and has worked on Starsky and Hutch, Troy, Murphy’s Law, Tomorrow Never Dies, Star Wars:Phantom Menace and many others.

WORDS: PETER BARNETT