THE Mayor and Mayoress of Dudley joined the Hope Centre's Camilla Phillips MBE to officially open a new Access to Higher Education Centre at Halesowen College's open day.

Mayor Councillor Mohammed Hanif and Mayoress Zebeda Khanam accompanied Camilla on a tour of the new facilities, which are designed to be used by adults taking Access courses and who hope to progress to university.

Ms Phillips is the founder of the Hope Centre in Halesowen, which helps people with their CVs, art classes, food, counselling and education.

She is also a former student and member of staff at Halesowen College.

She added: “I am so proud to be here today to see these new facilities, they will have a massive impact on the lives of students to help them achieve and build confidence.”

The college’s Interim Principal, Joanne Williams, added: “The Access qualification can change the lives of people who have not been in education for a while and help them strive for a new career.

“This is a major investment in our adult students.”

The open day at the Whittingham Road campus had hundreds of visitors and prospective students who were encouraged to ‘have a go’ at a wide range of fun activities, helping them to see themselves as a Halesowen College student.

The main aim of the day was for college staff and students to focus on the incredible range of courses for school leavers, including apprenticeships and to showcase the opportunities available to adult students and members of the local community.