At the cutting edge of new technologies.

A GOVERNMENT grant of pounds 4.4m might seem like small change in these days of multi-billion pound deficits, but there is no doubt that the support for wind turbine construction in the North East is hugely welcome.

There are already exciting plans in the pipeline which could lead to a rebirth of heavy industry on the Tyne and yesterday's announcement of support for Clipper Windpower will go some way towards ensuring they come to fruition.

On a day when the headlines will inevitably once again be dominated by the depressing unemployment statistics, how encouraging it is that the North East is once again at the vanguard of an exciting industrial announcement.

After the region was named Britain's first Low Carbon Economic Area specialising in low-carbon vehicles, it has now become the recipient of the largest financial award made to encourage British manufacturing of wind turbines. What a feather in the cap of the North East's industrial heritage to be able to say we are manufacturing the largest wind turbine in the world.

It's a fabulous new chapter in the story of the Great North Revolution, of course. And, with the markets for these turbines being truly international, it is firmly in the spirit of our Go Global campaign as well.