North Staffordshire’s Waterworld aqua park has completed a £500,000 refurbishment of its changing facilities and embarked on a nationwide marketing campaign ahead of the summer season.

Earlier this year the existing changing facilities and communal areas were demolished to create space for 400 changing cubicles, 1,200 modern lockers, more showers and the latest in all over body drying technology.

Facilities for disabled users were also improved.

Owner and chief executive, Mo Chaudry, said: “We felt our extensive changing facilities had become a little tired and somewhat out of keeping with the rest of the park’s state of the art rides.

“We also needed to increase our capacity to cope with our growing popularity.”

Chaudry, who bought the park five years ago, has seen the number of visitors rise in that time from 300,000 per year to 400,000 and is confident that this year Waterworld will welcome half a million guests.

He is investing in the park’s first ever television advertising campaign and a major PR push to raise its profile.

“In my five years here we have turned around what was an ailing theme park and made it into a profitable, fun destination, catering for hundreds of thousands of people,” said Chaudry.

“Now we believe the time is right to push onto the next level and to develop our offer further. An essential first step is raising our profile nationally.”

“A six figure sum is being allocated to the campaign with above the line ads and media relations activity supported by an intensive programme of regional promotions, events and SMS-based campaigns,” he said.

The park is expecting its five millionth visitor this summer and intends to welcome them with celebrations, a free lifetime pass and an all expenses paid trip to Venice for two.