THE man in charge of Oakwood Theme Park says he wants to celebrate its unique Welsh identity.

Prior to taking over as the boss of the Pembrokeshire attraction, Dominic Jones worked with Madame Tussaud's, as well as Thorpe Park and Chessington World of Adventures.

In addition to his extensive theme park background, he has also worked with Virgin Atlantic Airways; opening offices in Kenya and South Africa.

Dominic graduated from Swansea Metropolitan University, where his dissertation was on the future of Welsh Visitor Attractions. While at Walt Disney World Florida he also represented Wales at the Disney University.

Since taking charge last year, the Colwyn Bay man has been keen to forge closer links with the local community and to showcase Oakwood's unique appeal.

"Having worked around the world I have come to realise how important it is for successful businesses to be closely connected to their communities and to reflect and celebrate their uniqueness.

"I'm an incredibly proud Welshman and my aim is to not only make Oakwood an integral part of the community, but for it to become the number one family visitor attraction in Wales.

"Wherever possible I am looking to support local businesses, whether it's in our retail or catering outlets, grounds and maintenance, or fencing and building materials.

"We are also using a Welsh contractor to oversee building work on our major new £4m family-themed attraction which opens next month," he added.

Dominic has committed to the majority of new signage in the park being bilingual and Oakwood is also set to sponsor the map at this year's National Eisteddfod of Wales.