Sir Ken Dodd's widow to open MAST charity's office on Wirral

Lady Anne Dodd, President of the Merseyside Adventure Sailing Trust (MAST), will open its office at The Pacific Road Enterprise Hub in Birkenhead.

Lady Dodd has been a very generous supporter of the charity, which organises Tall Ship voyages for young people (especially the disadvantaged) for the experience of a lifetime.    

This occasion will also be the official launch of the Sir Ken and Lady Dodd Tall Ship Sailing Experience 2023 in which young trainee crews participate in voyages aboard traditional sailing Tall Ships to compete for the Sir Ken Dodd Cup.

Lady Dodd, Merseyside education and arts benefactor, said: "Happiness is the greatest gift that we possess, as Ken sang. We can achieve this by working together and sharing joy as a team.

Tall Ship on the Mersey (Image: courtesy of Peter Elson MAST Trustee)

"MAST is the perfect embodiment of this principle and the reason why I am thrilled to be involved with it to support the young people of Merseyside.”

"Ken was very interested in helping young people in Merseyside to get on in life and he’d be very proud of having his name associated with an organisation like MAST which is doing so much for them.”

Jim Graves, MAST founder, said: "Sailing on a Tall Ship is about teamwork, learning to co-operate and take instructions for the benefit of everyone.

"It is the ultimate experience for character development.

Tall Ships at Pier Head, Liverpool (Image: Peter Elson MAST Trustee)

“Lady Dodd’s support for MAST will help us achieve these goals and make Liverpool the Tall Ship centre for northern Britain.

Jim Graves, MAST founder (Image: Peter Elson MAST Trustee)

“The Sir Ken and Lady Dodd Tall Ship Sailing Experience will be an incredible asset for the young people of Merseyside and nationwide.”