NEW FOREST Waterpark near Fordingbridge is celebrating its 30th anniversary.

It was in April 1989, when Mark Jury received the news that his proposed purchase of a three-lake quarry next to the A338 between Fordingbridge and Ringwood had been completed.

He said: “I didn’t have planning permission, but I had a dream.”

New Forest Water Park, which is run by the Jury family, is made up of a five-pylon cable wakeboarding system, Wibit’s first UK aqua park, as well as stand-up paddleboarding and kayaking. It also offers fishing and has a licensed clubhouse and overnight camping facilities.

He said: “The time seems to have gone by so quickly with lots of changes and improvements. It feels great to start something new and see it grow.”

Mark’s “love of water” was a factor in starting the park. He said: “Being a competitive swimmer and confident in the water I experienced water skiing on holiday in Cornwall and was hooked immediately.”

The park’s humble beginnings, started with a Mastercraft ski boat, which was imported from America.

In 1991, Mark project managed the initial build of the park’s clubhouse, which launched in June 1991.

Over the next ten years, four Kawasaki 440 Jet-skis were added, increasing to 12.

And in 1995, aqua rides were introduced, to include team building exercises such as raft building and laser clay shooting. Camping facilities followed.

At the turn of the century, the Park launched wakeboarding activities, which called for a bigger variety of boats to achieve larger wakes.

Six years ago, New Forest Water Park built the first cable-ski system on the South Coast, through Rixen Cableways. They launched with two jumps and two rails and this was an instant hit with the local surfing/kiteboarding community.

Reflecting on how the park has changed over the years, Mark said: “I’m so lucky to have two amazing children, Ben and Millie, who are enthusiastic to keep things going and who are always looking to improve and expand.

“It’s them who are now the driving force, with me being a back seat passenger.”

“We started out in 1989 with a caravan as a changing room/clubhouse seeing around 500 people per season,” added Mark. “Now we see over 100,000 visitors a year, which is incredible.”

In February, the park reached the semi-finals of BH Stars Awards for best Attraction in the area.

Mark said: “My idea in the early days was to create a fun and safe environment for people to enjoy water activities. I am so proud of what my family have achieved over the past 30 years. We have, and always will, strive to be the best and remain at the forefront of safe family fun.”

He added: “My hopes for the future have always been the same as when we started – our aim is to get people on and in the water enjoying themselves. Happy smiling faces are all we need to know that we are doing it right.”