AN ENGINEERING firm is winning contracts across the world for its expertise in white water canoe courses just three years after diversifying

into the field.

Having just completed a major project closer to home in the Tees Valley North-East based Patrick Parsons is presently working on two courses to be used by canoeists and white water rafters in Russia, as well as pitching for work in China and closer to home in Scotland.

The firm, which is also pursuing opportunities in other parts of the world, has recently completed work on the £4.6m upgrade of the Tees Barrage course in Stockton, which is on the approved list to be used as a training facility by Olympic teams next year.

The upgrade included the installation of four giant Archimedes screws, an invention dating back more than 1,200 years, to generate the flow of the water around the course.

The white water course market has been a growing area of expertise for the 47-year-old engineering firm since starting its first project at Holme Pierrepont in Nottingham in 2008.

It has recently completed feasibility studies on courses for the Russian Canoe Slalom Federation at Astrakhan in the south of the country and Bogorodskoy to the north of Moscow, while it is also looking at a third project, close to the Mongolian border.

Peter Stienlet, managing director at Patrick Parsons, who is due to travel to China this week, said: "We started in this field in 2008. It was obvious the need was there, it is a massively growing sport.

"You have got to look for those niche markets. The traditional way was to sit and wait for a tender and then bid for it but we are very much focused on how we can generate our own work.

"We will go and see sporting authorities and say ‘have one of these, we have identified a site and this is how you can get funding.' We try and drive it."

The Newcastle firm works closely with Cumbrian company Engineering Paddler Designs (EPD), which designs innovative movable obstacle systems for the courses, while Patrick Parsons provides the civil and structural design.

Mr Stienlet said the flexible system developed by EPD, which allows the courses to be changed easily for the particular user, was an important part of winning work.

He said: "If I am going all the way to China they will say why should we use you, so you have to have something unique. I can say if you want this product you have to come with us."

The philosophy has seen the firm, which Mr Stienlet and his business partner Mark Turner took over four years ago, enjoy impressive growth.

He said: "At the time we took over we had 10 staff, we now have 40 and that is in a recession.

"We have opened an office in Chester, taken over a company in Huddersfield and we are still hiring staff."

Not only are the white water courses the firm designs used for kayaking, they also provide a training ground for water rescue teams, including the fire brigade who use them to simulate rescue scenarios such as flooding.