Royal approval from a class act

5:01am Friday 11th January 2008

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THE Princess Royal proved to be a class act when she opened a £17.3m college yesterday.

The Princess Royal, regarded as one of the most industrious members of the Royal family, showed she had done her homework during a two-hour tour of Bishop Auckland College.

She arrived by helicopter for the visit, which also marked 50 years of further education on the site.

The new building, which was completed in May last year, ready for the start of the college year in September, replaces a collection of Fifties classroom blocks familiar to generations of learners in south Durham.

The new campus houses classrooms, a childcare, adult and social care centre, a library and resource centre, support services, a restaurant and cafe, ICT and multimedia suites, and boasts industry standard facilities for hairdressing, beauty, complementary and sports therapies and a four-court sports hall.

Funding came in the form of a Learning and Skills Council £9.5m grant and a commercial mortgage.

Work on a second phase, which will include technology, music, performing arts and design centres, starts this year. Phase three, a work-based learning centre, in Spennymoor, County Durham, is due to open in autumn 2009.

The Princess Royal started her tour in the sports hall watching BTEC outdoor education students scaling a climbing wall. She spoke to 18-year-old Liam Foster, from Spennymoor, and tutor Pauline Snowball.

Sports and fitness therapy student Graham Christer was "on the rack" enduring a spinal stretch when the Princess Royal visited his department and she showed a keen interest in horse treatments during a chat with lecturer Carol Coates.

Ms Coates said: "She knew all about the way some techniques can be used to treat animals and how effective they are. She was very interested in all the treatments and very knowledgeable.

"The students told her how they support colleagues who do the Great North Run for charity. They were delighted that she spent so much time with them. I think she spoke to everybody."

The princess unveiled a terracotta plaque and accepted a painting from former art student Ray Landon.

She said: "It is quite a way to celebrate 50 years of further education in Bishop Auckland and I am sure you will be thrilled with this building.

"There was always very good work going on here in Bishop Auckland. Education is training for life and patently this is what you do here."

College principal and chief executive Joanna Tait said: "The princess was very knowledgeable and supportive of the notion that there are a lot of people in this country who, after the age of 16, do not have continuing access to education. She feels strongly that this should be encouraged and that what we do here is very worthwhile.

"She was very interested in the sports injuries clinic and talked about the different disabilities and problems that people have."

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