Jubilee Sailing Trust launches £1m emergency appeal

A charity which offers people with disabilities the opportunity to sail on tall ships says it needs £1m by the end of the week in order to survive.

The Southampton-based Jubilee Sailing Trust has brought together mixed ability crews for more than 40 years.

A statement said it had suffered "substantial mechanical issues" with its two tall ships and "poor uptake" of its activities.

It said if it failed raise enough money, it would "cease immediately".

The charity's two vessels, STS Lord Nelson and SV Tenacious, were specially designed and fitted to allow people with physical impairments - including wheelchair users - to sail side-by-side with people who do not have disabilities.

It takes crews on voyages around the UK and Europe as well as the Caribbean.

In 2012, Lord Nelson set off on a two-year circumnavigation visiting 30 countries. Tenacious took part in the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant the same year.

In a statement, the trustees said the charity faced "very serious challenges".

"If we are unable to reach this target, then it is likely the JST's activities will cease immediately," it said.

"This would, of course, be a very sad conclusion to four amazing decades of such important and ground-breaking work."