Jobs boost for Coleraine following Activity Centre £25,0000 expansion

by Gráinne Connolly

Twelve new jobs have been created in Coleraine, following a £25,000 investment at The Crannagh Activity Centre.

The money has been used to increase the size the size of The Edge Watersports existing waterpark there by 40%, to over 2,500 metres. 

(Rob Skelly, owner of The Edge Watersports and Seamus Carey, owner of the Crannagh Activity Centre)

Rob Skelly, one of the owners and also a British Water Ski and Wakeboard senior instructor has been discussing the development: 

"As one of Northern Ireland’s largest waterparks, we offer a wide range of activities from waterskiing, wakeboarding and banana boating to tube rides, kayaking and stand up paddleboarding. 

 "When we moved our business to The Crannagh three years ago we employed seven staff, two full-time and five part-time. Due to the recent £25k expansion our staff numbers have now increased from 20 to 32, with 25 of these jobs being full-time and seven part-time."

The Edge Watersports is one of the longest established activity providers on the north coast, with 20 years of experience in providing outdoor sports. 

It was originally established at Drumaheglis Marina, Ballymoney in 1996 it moved to The Crannagh Marina in Coleraine 2015.

Since then the Crannagh Activity Centre’s popularity has steadily increased.

There were over 16,000 visitors in 2016, 18,000 in 2017, and anticipated numbers for 2018 are in excess of 20,000, making it the most popular watersports destination on the island of Ireland.

Seamus Carey, another one of the owners has welcomed the expansion: 

"We have invested over £2million in recent years at Crannagh Marina Complex, which is located on the banks of the Lower Bann, between Coleraine and Portstewart. 

"It is an exciting time. We are recording record numbers of visitors and are thrilled to see this further expansion by the Activity Centre.

"The Lower Bann has been extremely underused as a recreation and tourism resource and we aim, with the help of various partners, to change this and make it a prime destination where people can come and spend a number of days packed full of fun activities.

"We have ambitious plans for the complex. In the next 6 to 12 months we will be constructing on-site accommodation. Phase 1 will provide over 30 bedrooms, with luxury cabins and luxury camping pods offering magnificent views over the River Bann.

"The Crannagh Marina, which currently offers over 200m of pontoons and has a large number of deep water moorings, also plans to increase its size to allow even more boats and larger boats to berth.

"The entire Crannagh Marina Complex is becoming a major hub for tourists and locals alike. There is something for everyone, no matter what your age."