A teenage sailor from the district will be heading to London this weekend to collect his Royal Yachting Association Yorkshire and Humber Young Sailor of the Year award.

Hector Simpson, 17, who attends Bradford Grammar School, was picked for the award by a panel of judges and will represent the region during a ceremony at the Tullett Prebon London International Boat Show on Saturday.

A talented Laser sailor, Hector, of Grove Road, Ilkley, is a keen member of the Yorkshire Dales Sailing Club, which meets at Grimwith reservoir in North Yorkshire, on the southern edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

As his career progresses, Hector is pulled further away from the Yorkshire Dales and in 2012 his successes took him to the RYA Volvo Youth National Championship at Pwllheli, Wales, where he was crowned Laser Standard Youth National Champion, a title that he will defend in Largs, Scotland in April.

“I am very proud and I feel honoured to have won the RYA Yorkshire and Humber Young Sailor Award,” he said.

“I owe my success to lots of people who have helped and coached me over the past few years.

“I began sailing about ten years ago and when I was 11 I applied for the RYA Volvo Zone Squad.

“After that, under the guidance of coaches Martin Boatman and Dave Hivey, I really caught the racing bug.”

Hector also has hopes of representing the country in the summer, as his training continues to progress.