A LOTTERY grant to the tune of thousands has boosted an outdoor centre for youngsters.

The Postcode Lottery handed over £9,000 to Avon Tyrrell at Bransgore to put towards improving the equipment used for activity sessions on the lakes.

This will enable youngsters, including those with disabilities, to use the centre more often.

Avon Tyrrell, which is run by the charity UK Youth, was unable to meet demand with their water-based sessions due to a lack of equipment.

But now they are able to buy eight new junior boats and four tandem sit-on-tops.

As well as the equipment, more sessions will be provided as well as additional safety equipment such as buoyancy aids, paddles and helmets.

The funding also allowed them to purchase a new canoe trailer to transport boats to off-site locations, allowing the centre to offer more advanced sessions giving young people the opportunity to gain awards.

Matt Simmons, pictured, chief instructor at Avon Tyrrell, said: “The instructors are extremely grateful for the new boats and new equipment as they provide a higher level of assistance and will increase the quality of their sessions, allowing them to see how much of a positive impact this has on young people and groups during the sessions.”

And director David Watts said: “Part of the initial bid was to reach out to more young people in the community and the charity is extremely grateful to the Postcode Trust for giving us new opportunities to get more young people involved in sessions on the lake together.

“Canoeing and kayaking sessions are one of the most popular activities at the centre and we now have opportunities to make improvements where the demand is and support those that need better accessibility.”

Since it opened in 1946 more than one million young people have benefited from visiting and staying at Avon Tyrrell.