The invite went out to support a fundraising campaign – and supporters quickly stepped up to the mark.

As reported in the Echo, the Friends of Castle Cove Beach Charity appealed for sponsors to fund the construction of some steps down to the closed-off beach in Weymouth.

Building the steps is the last hurdle to restoring full access to this much-loved beauty spot.

Following the Echo report, the charity said it was overwhelmed with support with the 30 steps attracting 30 sponsors within 30 hours.

On top of this, two Co-operative stores, one at Curtis Fields on Chickerell Road and one on Portland, are going to donate £1,000 each to the fund thanks to employees choosing it as the cause of their choice.

Selling the steps through a sponsorship scheme with supporters paying £120 each for a step was suggested by members of the charity’s 1,000-strong Facebook page. The money will go towards constructing the steps and each sponsorship will be acknowledged by a plaque attached to the relevant step.

Val Graves, a trustee of the Friends of Castle Cove Beach Charity, said the Steps to the Sea campaign achieved instant success, and will ensure people can access the beach by Easter.

She said: “This is an unbelievable response to our request for further funds.

"Our vice-chairman was dealing with the sponsorship requests. She got up at four o’clock in the morning, and there were another five requests on her laptop. We have been working flat out to keep up with demand."

The charity has now closed the scheme, though it is keeping a waiting list in case some sponsorships fall through.

Val Graves added: "We now have enough money to build the steps.

"We haven’t got a contingency fund or maintenance budget yet, but that’s for fundraising next year. We have two initiatives planned – and we will have the steps in operation by Easter.”

Castle Cove has been blocked off for more than five years although it is accessible at low tide by walking along the coast.

The footpath to the beach, which has been used by the public for decades, was closed by Dorset County Council but has since been partially reopened. Subsidence prompted the removal of an access staircase down to the sands.

The Friends, with support from the community, have been working on restoring access, and have been fundraising. The beach is a much-loved beauty spot which has been enjoyed by families for many years.

To find out more about the campaign see the charity's Facebook page.