RECORD breaking sailor and ambassador for disability Geoff Holt has added his support to an abseiling event for a Salisbury charity.

Brave fundraisers will be abseiling 100 metres down the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth on April 22 for the Southern Spinal Injuries Trust (SSIT) and friends and supporters will get an unusual viewpoint as Mr Holt will be providing free rides on his specially adapted powerboat Wetwheels.

Mr Holt, who became the first quadriplegic to sail across the Atlantic in January 2010, was one of the first patients to be cared for at the Duke of Cornwall Treatment Centre at Salisbury District Hospital when he was 18, and he became a patron of SSIT, the centre’s charity, in 2010.

He said: “It’s great to be able to support SSIT in their fundraising work and to make the Spinnaker Tower abseil a fun event for all. The powerboat is berthed at Gunwharf Quays so this was the perfect opportunity to link up.”

His powerboat has been designed to take disabled people, including wheelchair users, on the water and will be available exclusively to SSIT all day on April 22.

Places are still available for people who want to take part in the abseil. Registration costs £50 per person and each person needs to raise a minimum sponsorship of £250.

For full details go to ssit.org.uk.