Merlin Brae Water Ski Club ended a highly successful 2011 by becoming the first water ski and wakeboard club to achieve Clubmark accreditation.

The Club has been working closely with its County Sport Partnership, Northumberland Sport, and its volunteers have put a lot of hard work in to achieving Clubmark in just a matter of months.

Stephen Parsons, Club and Coach Development Officer at Northumberland Sport, commented: 

"It is great to see a new sport taking up accreditation, and it is a testament to all the hard work the volunteers have put in over a number of years at Merlin Brae.
Its success should be a shining example to other ckubs in rural locations, as it shows what can be achieved with committed volunteers. Northumberland Sport is delighted to support the first Water Ski club in the country to gain Clubmark. "

Paul Weatherburn from the Club stated:

"When we first looked at the accreditation process it appeared to be a daunting task, however we soon realised we were already doing most of the requirements, just in a different format. At Merlin Brea we focus on the youth skiers & now we have Clubmark it will allow us to attract other youth groups in the area to experience water skiing at our club."

Clare Macleod, Strategic Operations Manager for Clubmark and runningsports, commented:

"We are delighted to see the first water ski and wakeboard club achieve Clubmark accreditation. It is testament to the fact that more and more sports are acknowledging the value of accreditation and the associated benefits and as we look to further expand the reach of Clubmark we hope to see many more ‘firsts' throughout 2012." 

Photograph: Roland Harrison www.xciteimages.com