One of Kent's award-winning beaches has been chosen as the location for a national paddleboarding series.

The final 'tech race' of the Great Britain SUP National Series will take place on Viking Bay in Broadstairs on October 16.

The Viking Bay Classic is being staged in partnership with Kent Surf School and Kent SUP Racing after the latter was asked to host the final event of the national Ocean Technical series. This includes the main race in the morning, end-of-season prize giving and a surprise activity in the afternoon.

Thanet property developer Blueberry Homes, which is building the Royal Sands development in Ramsgate, is sponsoring the event and a spokesman said the firm is excited to see what it will bring to the district.

"The coastlines of Broadstairs, Ramsgate and Margate have so much to offer for the community, and spectators can view the race as well as the beautiful backdrop to the beach, surrounding clifftops and harbour-side jetty," the spokesman said.

"Paddleboarding is increasingly popular in the area and a worker at Royal Sands Ramsgate, Alex Mead, has been commuting by paddleboard from his home in Broadstairs this summer.

"That’s a commute hard to come by in other areas of the UK and we now hope to see Alex feature in this exciting race."

Alex, 21, from Broadstairs, added: "I could quite easily get a car to the site but decided a month or so ago to commute by paddleboard from Broadstairs to Ramsgate beach, just a few yards away from the development.

"I get to take in the beautiful coastline and even have a dip before I start my day. The views are stunning and the commute keeps me fit."

The race starts at 10am from the beach at Viking Bay and will call for participants to paddle in and out of the bay over multiple laps.

The event is open to all abilities and to enter visit https://gbsup.co.uk/

Read more: All the latest news from Thanet