THOUSANDS of watersports fans could come to the North-East after the future of a watersports centre was secured.
A partnership has been announced, securing the future development of the Castlegate Quay Watersports complex, in Stockton.
The Castlegate Quay Trust, which operates the Castlegate Quay Watersports Centre, has joined forces with Tees Active, a non-profit-making company that manages Stockton Borough Council's leisure complexes and encourages their development.
Under the arrangement, British Waterways will acquire the waterfront premises at Castlegate Quay, with Tees Active handling the day-to-day management of the centre.
In its first three years of operation, about 40,000 young people visited the centre, many of them with special needs, for training in canoeing, sailing and similar activities.
Referring to regeneration schemes already planned, Chris Payne, chairman of the Castlegate Quay Trust, said: "The centre has been a huge success, but the advent of the River Tees Strategy and the Stockton/Middlesbrough Initiative opens a whole new range of opportunities.
"To make the most of these will require more resources than the trust would be able to raise, so we have decided to take this step to ensure the continual growth, continuity and success of what is a unique watersports facility in the region."
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