THE owner of a gallery in the Tees Valley has announced major investment and expansion plans less than a year after opening.

About £10,000 will be spent on new equipment and better facilities at the Keith Moss Gallery, in Brotton, east Cleveland, which opened in June.

Refurbishment will include an extension of the gallery to include a viewing lounge and added space to showcase Mr Moss's world-renowned fine art photography, portraits and contemporary wedding work.

Mr Moss, who also runs photography classes, said: "The business has grown quickly, thanks to the support of many people in the region, and it is very exciting that now we can make this investment in the gallery to provide more services to our customers.

"The social portrait work and contemporary wedding photography is proving more popular than we ever imagined because what we offer is quite different, thanks to my skills as both an artist as well as a photographer. Due to demand we are now extending these services and taking on another member of staff to work with me on weddings."

The gallery will close for four weeks next month for the refurbishment and will reopen at the start of February. It is thought more jobs will be created throughout next year.

For more details about Mr Moss's work, log on to www.keithmossgallery.co.uk.