AN international bicycle route with tracks through Suffolk, has received a boost of £32,000 to help it enhance tourism and European Union relations.Set up over the course over the past five years at a cost of £1.

AN international bicycle route with tracks through Suffolk, has received a boost of £32,000 to help it enhance tourism and European Union relations.

Set up over the course over the past five years at a cost of £1.4million, the North Sea Cycle Route is a 4,000 mile route around the North Sea, linked by ferry services.

It is the world's largest signed international cycle route, covering seven countries: Scotland, England, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Norway.

In the East of England the route stretches from Harwich, where ferries arrive from the Hook of Holland, through Colchester, Hadleigh, Ipswich, Woodbridge, Framlingham, Halesworth and Beccles to Norwich and beyond.

The route is one of a number of Intereg IIIB projects which are part funded by the European Regional Development Fund. The latest funding comes from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, which has awarded a total of £1.7 million to Intereg IIIB projects across the country.

The project has 66 partners from the various countries but the main UK partner is Suffolk County Council. They will liaise with other partners such as Norfolk and Essex county councils and the East of England tourist board on how to spend the money.

Giles Goyder, tourism manager for Suffolk County Council, said: "This money will enable us to keep on developing and improving the porject and make sure it is not just a cycle route but a complete holiday experience."

Planning minister Keith Hill said: "This money will have a real impact on people's lives. Working together with European colleagues offers us the chance to gain from their experiences and share our own good practice."

WEBLINK: http://www.northsea-cycle.com