Manx children will be able to explore the open water with a new kayak donated to the Isle of Man Children’s Centre by the Collins Stewart Charitable Trust.

The double kayak will help with the charity’s ‘Mobex’ project, which works with young people through adventure activities, music and the arts.

The programme is designed to help young people discover new abilities to build confidence and deal with the issues that adolescence and early adulthood bring.

Manager of the Mobex project, Wayne Hickey, said 'For someone suffering from anxiety issues, going out into the open water and engaging in an outdoor activity can help develop their self esteem. We are grateful to Collins Stewart for making it possible for us to offer this exciting activity to our youngsters.'

The idea behind Mobex is experiential learning – enabling young people to learn about themselves, their behaviours and their abilities in a controlled environment.

Investment director at Collins Stewart Wealth Management in the Isle of Man, Noel Kelly, said 'We sent out a plea to charities earlier in the year asking anyone in need of help to step forward. We believe that making contributions to the community is incredibly important, especially now when donations for charities are perhaps not coming as thick and as fast as they used to.

'The Children’s Centre does some fantastic work and reaches many homes in Isle of Man. I hope that the kayak is a benefit to them,' he added.

The Collins Stewart Charitable Trust was founded in 2004 with the aim of supporting charities which may struggle to gain mainstream support in Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. Since its inception it has given more than ?70,000 to 49 different causes.