A FAMILY of one of the country's top young show jumpers is hoping a new £1.5million equestrian centre will secure his status among the elite of the sport.

Richard and Janet Mizon, from Todmorden, finally got their hands on land in Northcote Road, Langho, earlier this year and then set about getting planning permission for a livery yard that will provide a range of services for owners of horses.

And the proud parents hope the new facilities will give a helping hand to their 18-year-old son, Andrew, who has competed on the international show jumping stage for Great Britain. Andrew performed for the Under-18 Great Britain team in last year's European Junior Show Jumping championship that took place in the Olympic Stadium in Athens. He is now part of the Under-21 set-up and is hoping to carry on competing on the international stage.

The new equine centre in Langho will enable the talented youngster to improve because of the facilities it will provide. These will include an equine spa - a jacuzzi for horses to allow them to heal from injuries quicker - and large indoor and outdoor arenas.

It will also allow them to hold meetings and demonstrations for other riders and provide revenue to fund the expensive pursuit.

The proposals for a new equine centre will allow other horse enthusiasts to view their animals via webcam in the stables.

Andrew's dad Richard, 47, an NHS dentist in Oldham, said: "We hope work can start by the end of the summer and that it will be a credit to the area.

"There will be web cameras in the stables so that people can check on their horses and see how they are doing. That's the way things are going and a lot of the stables will be open for people to rent from us.

"My son hopes to get to the top and we hope we can attract some good horses to the stables and some of them will have a lot of potential for Andrew to develop."

The family are going to move from their current home in Allerscholes Lane, Todmorden, in to a new house being built at the Langho site near to the Northcote Manor Hotel.