IF the national papers would be believed, there is little to look forward to this summer. We are told about corrupt politicians, national finances in more of a mess than ever before, and we’re apparently all going to be sneezing our way through an autumn of swine flu.

You’d certainly be forgiven for thinking that Armageddon is upon us and there is little hope for anyone In the Tees Valley, we don’t have to look very far to see the positive developments that are helping us build momentum for the recovery.

Boho One – the Digital Enterprise Centre in Middlesbrough, which is soon to be officially launched – is the centrepiece of the city’s vibrant and burgeoning digital sector.

With further planned developments to create a Boho creative zone, the area looks set to become a regional, national and even international hub for the digital sector, a hugely exciting prospect for Middlesbrough.

Similarly, the potential of the renewable energy sector in the Tees Valley holds great promise for the region.

The identification of the Tees Valley as a prime site for the development of carbon capture storage could be a tremendous coup, establishing the North-East as a world leader in this form of green technology and creating thousands of jobs.

The futuristic-looking Middlehaven project is already thriving, and with Middlesbrough College happily settled in the complex, it is set to become another vibrant hub of Middlesbrough and the North-East.

Further afield, in Durham, work is soon to start on the Durham Gate development at Spennymoor which again looks set to revitalise the town and prepare the region’s path to recovery.

These are just a few of the exciting and positive developments taking place in the North-East.

We need to nurture and encourage the drive and enthusiasm that are bringing them to fruition and recognise their potential to help us build towards the recovery.

■ Joanne Fryett is NECC head of member relations.