A charity which helps young people develop their sailing skills has been awarded a grant of more than £5,000.

The Portland-based Andrew Simpson Foundation, a charity that provides opportunities for children of all backgrounds to get into sailing, was given the £5,530 grant by the Gannett Foundation.

The money will go towards adapting boats with new kit to make them easier to access for children with disabilities.

Richard Percy, chief executive of the sailing foundation, said: “It enables disabled young people to get out on the water.”

The cheque was presented to the foundation by the Dorset Echo on April 30.

The Gannett Foundation is a charitable fund run by the publisher of the Dorset Echo, which has given out nearly £300,000 to causes in areas served by Newsquest Media Group publications.

Andrew Simpson, the sailing foundation’s namesake, was an Olympic gold and silver medallist who died in a sailing accident in 2013. 

Mr Simpson believed that everyone should have the opportunity to try sailing, and so the foundation was established in his memory.

Since it opened in 2014 more than 25,000 people have been through its doors, and many young people have had the opportunity to try sailing and watersports for the first time.

The Andrew Simpson Foundation will also be opening a new building on May 10.

A spokesman for the foundation said: “Our new building enables us to continue to grow and build a locally engaged community of accessible sailing and watersports and deliver this by providing thousands more opportunities to get people out on the water. 

“We deliver a range of key charitable activities, further enabled through fundraising, events and research and we continue to grow to deliver these to as many people as possible. Everything we do is driven by our belief that all young people have the ability to excel and succeed in life and work and we believe that the challenges of Sailing and Watersports do this by promoting health and well-being and building essential personal skills.”

Mr Percy added: “We’re seeing it as a real community hub.”

More information can be found at andrewsimpsonfoundation.org