PARALYMPIC gold medallist Helena Lucas is on the road to Rio, thanks to a Portland sail making business.

The sailing star was on hand to cut the ribbon at the new sail loft for Moatt Sails at Osprey Quay on Portland on Saturday.

The new facility means the company can now work on boats up to 60feet.

Helena said the company had helped her out over the years with gear and were now involved in her campaign towards the Rio Games in 2016.

She said: “They have massively helped me out over the years, they have been a great support.

“It’s a great privilege to be here to cut the ribbon.

“They are very much part of my program and road to Rio campaign. They have been absolutely brilliant.”

Helena said the campaign to 2016 was looking good, with two great results recently – two medals at the two world championships.

She said: “We have got lots of exciting things in the wings. We have been doing some development and will start introducing the new kit.”

In fact, she has just returned from a training camp in Rio, which she said was ‘very successful’ and the team had been learning about the winds and tides.

She said that because of the mixture of mountains and high-rise buildings in Rio it was an even more challenging course than Portland had been.

And even though she now lives in Southampton, Helena said she loves coming back to her ‘second home’ of Portland.

She added: “Whenever I’m here I always get such a good welcome.

“It definitely feels like a second home. I’m pleased I picked here for my gold post box- there will always be a little bit of me here.”

Mayor of Weymouth and Portland, Kate Wheller, was at the opening, she said: “We always hoped this area would become a centre for marine excellence and this is what is happening. It’s achieving what we hoped it would, which is great.”

Steve Moatt, owner of Moatt Sails, said that the opening of the sail loft marked a turning point in the business, he said they had come a long way from working out of a shed seven years ago. He said he was very proud of his team, adding: “We are very passionate about what we do- we love what we do. We appreciate our customers, we know without them we wouldn’t be here.”