Kevin is sure kitesurfing business will take off

Jun 24 2009 By Christopher Knox, The Journal

KEVIN Anderson has taken redundancy from carmaker Nissan and turned his hobby into an exciting career that sees him flying across the waves along the Northumberland coast.

After 18 years as a team leader at the Washington plant Kevin was one of the 1,200 staff who took redundancy this year when the car market was hit by the recession. He had long thought of starting his own business and the offer of a redundancy package gave him the chance to make a living from his love for extreme sports.

The Wylam father of two got help from Business Link, who provided him with 50% of the set up costs, and he now takes his KA Kitesurfing school up and down the Northumberland coast.

He has always been a fan of water sports and has won three national skiff sailing championships and one European championship across three separate classes and is proficient in everything from windsurfing to paragliding.

"When I was offered the redundancy package I just felt it was time to do something else. I had been at the same factory for 18 years and had always wanted to set up my own business," he said. "I have always loved extreme sports, water sports in particular, and realised that I had a skill that could be used to start an exciting new business.

"There are loads of kite surfing schools across the country, but not many in the North East, which I thought was a crime when you consider the fact that we are so spoilt with our beautiful coastline."

Kevin, who is a British Kite Surfing Association qualified instructor on both water and land, now expects the lessons will prove a big hit with adrenalin junkies across the North East and believes it is the perfect time to start up a business like this as strapped holiday makers seek their thrills closer to home.

"I think the recession could actually work in my favour as people will be looking to take lessons in places like Northumberland rather than the likes of the Caribbean," he said. "That is why I am confident that the business will really take off this year."

To keep his business interests active through the winter, he is also planning to becoming a snowboarding instructor and has already set up a VW Campervan hire business to cater for the region’s outdoor enthusiasts through the website, kacamperhire.co.uk..

He already has two top of the range VW vans, one of which has already been booked for this weekend’s Glastonbury festival, and expects to develop a fleet of vans over the coming months.

He said: "Originally I used the vans to move the kite surfing equipment around, but I realised that hiring them out to campers could also bring in extra revenue. It’s early days but I am confident that this venture will also prove popular."