PONTIN'S is aiming to make holidays even happier with completion of a multi-million pound improvement project this spring - a year ahead of schedule.

The Blackpool Pontin's Family Centre on Clifton Drive North will have a new 1,000-seater cabaret bar, new pub, new multi-sports court, a crazy golf course and modernised restaurant in time for the summer season.

The company was due to take five years on its £55 million renovations to 11 holiday centres nationwide, but a spokesman said: "Such has been the positive response of clients that many of the improvements planned for the final stage - 1998/9 - have been brought forward by a full year."

Accommodation has been upgraded, with apartments including kitchens and satellite TV a popular choice for families.

And the company has added new entertainment to appeal to youngsters, including a full-sized Powertrax go-kart track, adventure playgrounds and children's theatres, as well as activity programmes for older children including quad biking, abseiling, trampolining and fencing, all with qualified supervision.

Though Blackpool is one of the oldest-established holiday sites, Pontin's seems determined to throw off the old holiday camp image and remain competitive with the modern holiday parks, aimed at families, that have boomed in recent years.

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