The family of a kayaker who was found dead after going missing has welcomed the "phenomenal" response to plans to set up a charity promoting sea safety.

A campaign to raise funds for the charity in memory of Dominic Jackson has so far generated just under £7000.

Mr Jackson was reported missing on Sunday, February 5, after he failed to return from a kayaking trip off Portsoy, on the north coast of Aberdeenshire.

A massive land, sea and air search was launched with specialists and dozens of volunteers involved.

Police Scotland recovered a body from the water near Lybster in Caithness on Thursday.

On Monday, the force confirmed the body recovered was that of Mr Jackson.

Around ten members of the 35-year-old's family, including his father Jeremy, brothers Stuart and Leighton and sister Kirstie, joined the search efforts.

Ellie Jackson, another of Dominic's sisters who lives in Australia, has launched an online fundraising drive to create a charity to promote the use of personal locator beacons (PLBs) among adventurers and promote safety at sea.

She said: "Dom's death was just such a senseless waste of a life and if I leave it at that it will always be a senseless waste of a life, and I wanted to do something more.

"Lots of people have already said it has made a difference to them as they will be using a PLB or thinking more about their safety equipment.

"The charity will be called PLanB because Plan A is to go out and have fun but you need a plan B if it all goes wrong."

By Monday morning nearly 70% of the £10,000 total target had been raised through a JustGiving site, with donations flooding in from across the globe.

Ms Jackson also described the response as "phenomenal".

In a post on the JustGiving page, the family said Mr Jackson's death could have been completely preventable if he had been wearing a PLB.

A statement on the site read: "We feel the public has little awareness of how inexpensive technology such as PLBs can be used to prevent tragedies like this, and Dom's family would like to use his legacy to prevent any other family having to go through the pain of such a senseless waste of life.

"All monies raised will be spent on initial costs involved in setting up a charity in Dom's name.

"Once the charity has been set up and working together with the support of the RNLI, the overall aim will be to campaign to raise awareness of the use of PLBs and correct sea safety logging procedures via an app and website."

Further down the line they will campaign to ensure that carrying a PLB at sea is as common to everyone as wearing a seatbelt in a car or a lifejacket on the water.

They have also launched a PLanB website, urging people who take part in adventure sports and activities to make sure they have a Plan B for emergencies.