IT has seen thousands of children making a splash over the past quarter of a century.

Now a Hampshire leisure centre has celebrated 25 years of water-filled fun.

Romsey Rapids in Romsey had proved controversial, but it was one of the most up-to-date leisure facilities of its time and attracted more than 30,000 people in its first month.

It has proved continually popular with numbers having grown, operators say.

When the £4.8million project was approved by Test Valley Borough Council in 1989 some had criticised the decision to opt for a leisure pool rather than a conventional pool to replace the swimming facilities next door to Romsey’s Crosfield Hall.

Romsey Rapids was given the royal seal of approval when it was officially opened in the summer of 1990 by the Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, who visited during a heatwave and told those assembled she wished she had brought her swimsuit.

The Rapids attracted 300,000 visits a year in its early years but today has more than 500,000.

It offers a fun pool which includes the fast-flowing rapids and a flume slide alongside a lane swimming section and teaching pool.

Today the site also has a fitness and strength gym, a circuits gym, studio classes, a new toning centre and a spa.

It is also now linked with the nearby squash courts, adventure golf course and tennis courts.

The Rapids continues to be run by Valley Leisure, which was set up for this purpose and is also celebrating its quarter century.

It now runs five sites in Test Valley, including the Knightwood Leisure Centre in Valley Park.

Kevin Paterson, Valley Leisure chief executive, said: “The borough council showed a lot of vision and determination in building The Rapids.

“We’re delighted that 25 years on that vision has grown into something bigger and bolder than before.”

“We have more visitors than ever expected and today we are so much more than a fun pool, and we hope to develop it even more in future years.

Hampshire County Council Leader Roy Perry, a member for Romsey Extra who was the Leader of Test Valley Borough Council at the time the Rapids was approved and the first chairman of Test Valley Leisure, said: “It really has been a great facility for the Romsey area and lived up to all the positive expectations we had for it 25 years ago.

“It is fair to say we faced a deal of criticism when we proposed what was seen as a new fangled idea of combining a leisure pool with a fitness pool but it has worked.

“I also believe it remains one of the very few public pools and leisure complex that covers its running costs.

“I am glad we had the courage to stick with our plans and get for Romsey the brilliant facility local people now so obviously enjoy.”