Lorraine Kelly is backing a crowdfunding campaign to help restore the RRS Discovery, the famous expedition ship docked in Dundee.

Captain Robert Falcon Scott's vessel is about to enter a nine-month repair programme.

Its masts will come down and rigging will be cleaned and repaired.

Dundee Heritage Trust, which owns the ship and its adjoining museum, wants to raise £40,000 to pay for the work, which will cost £350,000 in total.

A crowdfunding campaign launched this week featuring Kelly, a patron of the trust.

She said: "The Discovery was built to last a relative few years in one of the harshest environments on the planet.

"That's why ongoing maintenance and restoration are essential, to keep her looking outstanding and also to maintain her position as one of Dundee's favourite visitor attractions.

"Dundonians, me included, quite rightly feel a kind of ownership of her."

The trust has appointed maritime consultant John Watson for the rigging project.

Mr Watson was instrumental in getting RRS Discovery back to Dundee in 1986 and is a former chief executive of Dundee Port Authority.

The work will be carried out by T Neilsen & Company, a specialists in repairing, restoring and building traditional ships, based in Gloucester.

The ship will be closed for three weeks in November as the masts are brought down, though Discovery point will be open at a discounted rate.

It is thought the painstaking restoration could take up a year to complete.

Paul Jennings, executive director for Dundee Heritage Trust, said: "We're proud of the fact that RRS Discovery and Discovery Point are one of Dundee's most popular visitor attractions.

"However, regular and detailed upkeep of this historic vessel is vital and as a charitable trust we rely on the generosity of the public.

"That's why we're asking for donations, however big or small, towards the rigging project.

"It's only through proper maintenance and restoration that we can ensure she will be here for Dundonians and their families to enjoy for many more years to come."