Ceramica is a celebration of the region's most famous industry

The Ceramica exhibition in Burslem features displays from many of the town's famous names, including Royal Doulton, Moorcroft and Wade.

The �3m project, which was originally intended to mark the start of the millennium, welcomed its first visitors last April.

Operations manager Adam Lockett says the visitor numbers prove the project is going from strength to strength.

No white elephant

He said: "We have already achieved our target of 10,000 visitors and we are hoping to add up to another 2,000 by the end of our first year.

"We have been short-listed in the Heart of England awards for best tourist attraction with less than 100,000 visitors and we won the award for top tourist attraction in Staffordshire from the Good Britain Guide.

"We have changed a few minds and proved Ceramica is not a white elephant."

The attraction is housed in two buildings, with the exhibitions located in Burslem's old town hall and the shop in a futuristic, glass construction next door to the Victorian building in the Market Place.