A PROJECT group which hopes to build a £1m "wobbly" suspension bridge across the River Tees has met to turn the dream into reality.

The first meeting of the group set up to discuss proposals to build a 500ft-long rope bridge high above the Tees near Barnard Castle has left members confident that the project will be a success.

Marketing chiefs in Teesdale hope the bridge will attract thousands of visitors a year to the area, and give the local economy a boost as it recovers from the foot-and-mouth epidemic.

Chris Dauber, the brains behind the project and co-founder of Teesdale Marketing, explained the bridge would be based on the world-famous Capilano suspension bridge, in Vancouver, Canada.

Engineers at Cleveland Bridge have drafted a drawing of the planned bridge, to give people an idea of how it might look.

If approved, the bridge would replace a former railway viaduct and would have a span of about 560ft, at a height of 150ft above the Tees.

It is planned to incorporate the attraction into a ten-mile circular walk round Barnard Castle.

Speaking after the meeting, Mr Dauber said: "This was very much an initial, cards-on-the-table-type meeting.

"While we still have a long way to go, the mood of the meeting was positive and the group plans to meet again before long.

"The bridge is designed to attract tourists to Teesdale and I think it will."

The biggest obstacle still to face is the issue of land ownership but Mr Dauber is confident any problems can be resolved.

He is also positive that sufficient funds for the project can be achieved and that the bridge could be complete within the next two years.

As part of the consultation process, the public will be invited to complete a questionnaire in Barnard Castle Tourist Information Centre this weekend