His Royal Highness The Duke of York officially opens new Northampton College campus

His Royal Highness The Duke of York visited Northampton College’s Booth Lane campus yesterday to officially open its newly-designed site.

His Royal Highness The Duke of York visited Northampton College’s Booth Lane campus on 20 March to officially open its newly-designed site.

During his visit The Duke was given a tour of the new facilities and had the opportunity to meet with students from a range of different programmes including musical theatre, catering and engineering before being accompanied to the library to unveil a commemorative plaque.

Musical theatre student, Laura White spoke of the experience, “Myself and students studying musical theatre put on a special show which included two pieces from the play ‘Sister Act’. We were all incredibly nervous and excited to be able to perform in front of His Royal Highness but I think he really enjoyed it. He shook my hand at the end and said well done which was fantastic.”

Following an address by Principal Len Closs and the official plaque unveiling, His Royal Highness was also presented with a gift by Engineering student, Claudia Trotman. This featured a mounted depth gauge and a drill point grinding gauge made by college students from brass and steel.

Principal, Len Closs, said “We were delighted and extremely proud to welcome His Royal Highness to open our new campus and to showcase the impressive facilities on offer. This marks a real milestone in what has been one of the most ambitious redevelopment projects to be undertaken by an FE college in England and we look forward to providing opportunities and inspiration for many new students in the coming years.”

The new facilities at the Booth Lane site have been designed to embrace the College’s ethos for 21st century learning, and include room for future expansion in student numbers. The buildings are designed to be adaptable in both layout and function, reflecting the latest thinking in the planning of educational facilities. The new buildings will not only improve the service provided to existing users but also encourage new staff and students to join in what will be an exceptional learning experience.