ONLY a few months ago Paul Anderson and his colleagues were rocked by the news that their jobs at Lafarge's Eastgate operation were to go.

The cement works was a major employer in Weardale and the impact of its closure was felt throughout the Dale.

Now, Paul, 36, has unexpectedly become one of the North-East's newest entrepreneurs.

He's turned his hobby into a business and struck out on his own because that was one only way he could keep on living the rural life he loves.

Paul, a former British Quad Bike Champion, set the wheels in motion to start his new company soon after he learned in January that his job at Lafarge Cement would go in August.

He's also taken the advice of business experts and based his new venture on his hobby, making use of his mechanical skills and knowledge of the quad bike world. Anderson ATV, based on the Wolsingham Industrial Estate, will sell and service bikes, which are increasingly in demand by farmers and racers.

In addition to the workshop facilities, the firm will also offer a mobile service.

Its main asset will be Paul himself, although he has a huge amount of support from his partner Dawn Richardson and there has been practical help and advice from the County Durham Development Company and Wear Valley Development Agency.

He said: "I've seen foot-and-mouth hit the farms, including my family's, and now job losses at Eastgate and Wolsingham Steel.

"Life has to change in the dale and we've no choice. We've lost well paid jobs and prosperity. Young people are leaving because they can't see a future.

"But it's still an attractive place to live and Dawn and I had to sit down and decide what we had to do if we wanted to stay on here.

"There have been grants and advice but it all seemed to happen slowly and there were times when I felt like giving up.

"In the end it was down to me to take the risk. I felt I needed to take a positive view of the future and make use of the skills I had."

Stewart Watkins, executive director at CDDC, said: "We are closely involved in the Weardale Task Force that was established in response to Lafarge's announcement and this kind of entrepreneurship is central to the economic regeneration of the more rural areas of County Durham."

To contact Anderson ATV call (01388) 528966