Mo Chaudry, entrepreneur, philanthropist and campaigner was awarded the ‘Star of Pakistan’ at this year’s Pakistani Achievement Awards.
It is the second year of the awards (sponsored by Danmirr Consultants, UK Time London and the Sunstar Group) which were held at the Park Lane Hilton on Saturday 10th July.

“It was a great honour to receive this award from my peers. My greatest wish is that I can be a positive role model for the next generation and encourage them to live fruitful and progressive lives, and to contribute to society in a meaningful way,” said Mr Chaudry, who is the Chairman of WaterWorld (the UK’s largest and most successful aqua based theme park) and M.I.C Group.

The awards recognise individuals and enterprises of Pakistani origin for their excellence and positive contributions to the image of Pakistan and who act as best example of Britishness. It is a major event in the Pakistan calendar.

The star of Pakistan award is Pakistan’s highest civil award. Mr Chaudry was awarded the “star” honor for his contribution to British Society, in promoting positive community cohesion, and his many business and charitable dealings in Pakistan and the UK.

The awards were presented by Mr Wajid Shamsul Hasan (The High Commissioner of Pakistan) who commented that: “Mr Chaudry is a fine example of a British Pakistani, who it truly self made and a fantastic example to all, with a huge amount of motivation and hard work that anything is possible.

We are proud to be honouring him with the “Star of Pakistan”, it is truly deserved!”

The event was attended by 550 VIPs including stars of film and TV, business tycoons and high achievers in their fields. Two of last year’s ‘star award’ winners were Amir Khan (Boxing) and James Khan (Dragons’ Den).

Mo Chaudry, Asian entrepreneur and star of Channel 4 TV’s ‘Secret Millionaire’, is determined to put arranged marriage on the General Election agenda.

Mr Chaudry, who owns the famous Waterworld attraction at Stoke-on-Trent, has been at the forefront of the campaign to criminalise arranged marriage in the UK for several years.
Speaking after David Cameron visited a Staffordshire brewery on Tuesday Mr Chaudry said: “Mr Cameron denounced the practice; in which girls and boys are forced into marrying someone they do not want to, when we discussed the problem two years ago. He told me that a Conservative government would consider making forced marriages a criminal offence.”
Tory legislation, proposed at the time, would include making would-be brides and grooms come to Britain to get married. Also, their partners in the UK would have to be at least 21 years of age.
British nationals travelling abroad to marry will have to register in the UK beforehand if they want their marriage recognised for immigration purposes.
300 cases are reported annually to the Government’s Forced Marriage Unit but the true figure is likely to be very much higher.
“It seems utterly bizarre, and frankly unacceptable, that this goes on in Britain – but it does,” said Mr Chaudry.
The Forced Marriages Act already allows for civil actions, but it is unlikely that a high proportion of victims press criminal charges against their own parents. For this reason it is important to give the courts the power to prosecute.
“Forced marriages need to be criminalised. It is a very sensitive and real issue within communities. It is not something we can brush under the carpet. The ideal end product would be to get legislation to make it a criminal offence to force a bride or groom into an arranged marriage. And we need to make sure that statutory bodies like the police act on that legislation,” said Mr Chaudry.

THREE new rides and a tropical beach will form part of a £10 million plan to create a new hotel at a top tourist attraction.

Waterworld boss Mo Chaudry said the hotel, which will allow visitors access to the aqua park at Festival Park, is aimed at tapping into the booming short breaks market.
The development will include three new ‘bigger, better and faster rides’, a beach with real sand and a health and fitness centre which will increase employment at the attraction from 125 to 300.

It is anticipated that the hotel development, which will be next door to the Moat House, will increase visitor numbers to 500,000 and bring a further £7 million into the region’s economy.
Mr Chaudry, who is currently in talks with a hotel operator, said a facelift was needed to turn the business around after spiraling costs and a drop in visitors number to below 400,000.
He said: “This will take Waterworld into the 21st century. We are head and shoulders above the rest in the UK in terms of an aqua park but we want to go further than that and create a leisure world where visitors will come and spend a few days.”…

Mo Chaudry, entrepreneur and star of Channel 4 TV’s ‘Secret Millionaire’, unveiled plans for the final phase of the £10 million redevelopment of the Waterworld tourist attraction today.

Mr Chaudry plans to build two water’s edge restaurants, a new ‘beach’ area with special lighting that imitates sunlight, a ‘Wellness’ centre (include beauty treatments, saunas and Jacuzzis), a new health and fitness club (including the first ice cave in the UK), sun decking and an interactive play area for youngsters.

Waterworld, which is already the most popular aqua attraction in the UK, will expand to cover an additional 35,000 square feet, making a total 105,000 sq/ft. The first phase of Waterworld’s development included Little Gym, Lady Zone, Subway, Café Bar and merchandising outlets.

Mr Chaudry, who represents the Destination Staffordshire tourism and marketing partnership, has championed the need for investment in the Stoke area for many years.

“I witnessed the decline and decay of Stoke on Trent in the 1980s and 1990s as the coal pits and steel industry closed and the ceramics industry waned. The grim industrial environment is now changing dramatically,” said Mr Chaudry.
Waterworld’s twelve acre site is arguably the best development location in North Staffordshire; within the urban core and backing onto the Trent & Mersey canal.
“This redevelopment is a fantastic opportunity to bring life into this problem area, open up the canal side in Stoke-on-Trent for all to enjoy and provide local employment,” said Mr Chaudry.

His future plans for the leisure complex include the development of a secret ‘winter’ tourist attraction and building a hotel and self-catering accommodation so that Waterworld can tap into the growing short-break market and become an all year round leisure resort.

NEWS NOTE: Waterworld has been granted a 100% bill of health by the Institute of Qualified Lifeguards (IQL) following their annual external verification last month. The IQF commented that Waterworld’s lifeguard training arrangements where ‘excellent’ which is excellent news for the resort from the point of view of public safety and the visitor experience. It also enables Waterworld to carry on providing training and employment opportunities for young people looking to enter into the leisure industry.