Lady Dodd, who is MAST President, and widow of the celebrated Liverpool comedian Sir Ken Dodd, opened MAST’s first office at The Sheds, Office A1, 1 Pacific Road, Birkenhead, Wirral, CH41 1L J in April.

This was also the official launch of the Sir Ken and Lady Dodd Tall Ship Sailing Experience for summer 2023 in which young trainee crews aboard traditional sailing ships competed for the new Sir Ken Dodd Cup.

Another VIP guest speaker was the Lord Lieutenant of Merseyside Mark Blundell, right, who praised the initiative of MAST in giving so many young people the chance to experience sailing on tall ships, which they never otherwise would have the opportunity to do.

Lady Dodd, seen left with MAST Trustee Kevin Rodgers, said: “Ken famously sang happiness is the greatest gift that we possess. We can do this by celebrating working and sharing joy as a team. MAST is the perfect embodiment of this and the reason why I’m 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 and Chief Executive, said: “Sailing on a tall ship is about teamwork, learning to co-operate and take orders for the benefit of everyone. It’s the ultimate experience for character development.

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

“The Sir Ken and Lady Dodd Tall Ship Sailing Experience will be an incredible asset for the young people of not just Merseyside but the entire north.”