SPORTS enthusiasts have had a boost with the news that work on a long-awaited sports complex is about to start.

Construction on the £485,000 project in Northallerton will get under way later this month

It follows the confirmation that the final piece of funding for the all-weather pitch and skatepark been secured.

Contractors will move on to the site - between the Allertonshire School and Hambleton Leisure Centre at Stone Cross - in the next few weeks.

The all-weather pitch will be big enough to cope with six games of tennis or two games of five-a-side football or hockey at any one time. It will sit alongside the new skatepark, which will be run by the Northallerton Wheelers group.

Hambleton District Council's spokesman on health, Neville Huxtable, said: "We have been waiting a long time for this project to begin but I am convinced it will have been worth it.

"It has had a number of false starts, mainly due to external funding issues, but now we are looking forward to seeing it up and running.

"It will provide great opportunities for young people in particular to take part in sport.

"The all-weather pitch will be shared with schools in the area and will enhance the PE curriculum at the Allertonshire School. It will also provide new opportunities for young people out of school in the evening, weekends and holidays," said Coun Huxtable.

The facilities, which are being delivered by the district council, should be ready for use in October. They will be run from the leisure centre, while the day-to-day management of the skatepark will be taken on by the Wheelers.

Designs for the skatepark were drawn up in collaboration with young people, while the plans for the all-weather pitch draw on experiences of the existing pitches in Easingwold, Thirsk and Stokesley.

Funding is coming from the district council, Hambleton Community Safety Partnership, the National Lottery's Sports Fund and local groups.