14455/2WILTSHIRE College hopes to increase the number of students using its campus in Devizes with the opening of a new £400,000 centre off Southbroom Road on Friday.

It has replaced temporary classrooms that have been on the site since 1966.

The idea of a new college building was first put forward eight years ago.

College officials had looked at various sites in the town including the Northgate and Wharf area but found nothing that was suitable.

George Bright, principal of Wiltshire College, said: "There was a strong lobby from the staff and students to keep the college at Southbroom and I am delighted we have been able to achieve this.

"What we have is a great facility and we hope it will be a trigger for more students to come here. However, although we promote adult education in Devizes and the villages around there are still people, including long standing residents, who don't know that the college exists."

Thirty five per cent of the cost of the new college was funded by the Department for Education through the Wiltshire and Swindon Learning Skills Council.

Penny Hackett, chief executive of the Learning Skills Council, said: "One of our big ambitions is to try and get great teaching in great buildings as we think that makes a great difference to learning.

"Learning opportunities can change people's lives and there may be quite a few people in Kennet who could take these up at this facility."

Devizes MP Michael Ancram, who was at the opening, said: "This building is a real triumph for the people who work and learn in it.

"I'm a great supporter of adult education and outreach education and in our different ways we need to make sure that people in the area know about the courses that are on offer here.

"This is a tremendous asset which really can be used by the local community."

Also attending was the college's oldest student, 95-year-old Margaret White.

Mrs White, a retired nursing sister who worked at the Royal London Hospital has been studying various courses at the college since she moved to Devizes 12 years ago.

"I have always enjoyed learning. The college is wonderful and it helps so many people," she said.

Mrs White is currently on a course called Ten Books Worth Reading. She previously completed the course entitled Computing for the Terrified.

She said: "All of us on the course were newly retired and equally terrified of computers. We managed to send emails and cautiously got on to the internet. By the end of the course we were quite pleased with ourselves."

Last year 1,800 students attended Devizes College where a variety of part-time courses include vocational subjects and GCSEs for over 16s.

The college has an IT learning centre which is used by employers to train employees, mothers wanting to return to work as well as others who have never used a computer before.

Dot Fox, Devizes College manager, said: "We want to make sure all our classrooms are used fully. In the evening they are full but sometimes during the day there are slots to fill.

"With this new building we hope to put on more courses and we are looking to see if we can hold Pilates and Reiki healing courses."