A carpentry workshop is to be built at the city docks to help Bristol's top tourist venue the ss Great Britain and people on probation.

The workshop, to be built in the Great Western Dockyard next to the historic ship, is being jointly paid for by the ss Great Britain Trust and Avon and Somerset Probation Service.

The probation service's 'community payback' groups will use the workshop for carpentry and other jobs on site. Work undertaken by people on the payback scheme in the past has focussed on projects such as cleaning the ship's glass 'sea' and repairing cobbled paths and walls.

This initiative will enable the teams to work on functional and decorative woodwork on board the historic ship.

Trust director Matthew Tanner, said: "The ss Great Britain Trust is delighted to continue working in partnership with the Avon and Somerset Probation Service.

"The community payback scheme plays an important role in the ongoing maintenance and conservation of the ss Great Britain.

"As an independent museum and registered charity, which receives no local or central government funding, the trust has to generate income through visitors, venue hire, weddings and civil partnerships.

"It would be difficult to meet the full costs associated with caring for this historic ship, and to meet high standards for our visitors, without the support of community payback."

Martin Davies, assistant chief officer of Avon and Somerset Probation Service said: "We are overjoyed to continue working in partnership with the ss Great Britain Trust.

"The new workshop will allow community payback to help participate in the valuable work done by the trust on this famous Bristol landmark, while providing offenders with an opportunity to learn and develop new skills which could aid their future employment."