THE World Pool Championship will be staged in Morecambe next year thanks to your priceless weekly newspaper, The Citizen. Organisers of the European and UK Pool Federation Competition were set to pull out of the resort after losing one of their major sponsors. But after their case was featured in the best read local weekly, negotiations started to ensure that the money-spinning event will be back in Morecambe next year.

"Attempts to discuss the matter with the council were going nowhere until our story was featured in the Citizen," said one of the organisers, Alan Marshall.

"Without the Citizen's help I think we would have had to go elsewhere. Following the story everyone got together and it looks like we'll definitely be back next year.

We like it here in Morecambe, the locals are very helpful and friendly, and we bring a lot of trade to the town for two weeks of the year. It would have been disappointing for everyone concerned if we'd have had to pull out."

The pool tournament brings a total of 1,800 competitors into the resort and injects an estimated £600,000 into the local economy. Other councils around the country had expressed an interest in staging the pool championships but Lancaster City Council is now looking at ways to keep the event in the resort.

"I'm pleased that the council is now working with us and look forward to coming back," said a delighted Mr Marshall. "We went to all the newspapers but only the Citizen took a genuine interest. And to say thanks we've decided that next year one of our trophies will be called the Citizen Trophy."

Morecambe Tourism chief, Cllr Jean Yates, also thanked the newspaper and said: "I'd like to thank the Citizen for the role it played in keeping the pool championships in the resort." Council Leader, Stanley Henig, was optimistic about the future of the championship.

He said: "We want to assist the organisers of this event to make sure that the World Pool Championships remain in Morecambe for at least the next two years."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.