Shropshire college's new food centre is opened
[gallery] A new food centre has opened at a specialist college in Shropshire as part of a £1 million investment.
Bradbury's Food Centre at Derwen College, Gobowen, near Oswestry, will be a training restaurant for catering and food service students and will also be available to hire for private functions and events.
It is part of a £1 million project at the college, which teaches students with learning difficulties. The scheme has also seen the development of new student residences.
The formal opening was carried out by Oswestry town mayor Chris Schofield.
North Shropshire MP and Environment Secretary Owen Paterson had been due to perform the opening but had been called away on last-minute business.
Councillor Schofield said he was delighted to fill in.
The mayor said fundrasing towards the cost of the developments had now topped £500,000.
Money came from various grant-making organisations including the Bradbury Foundation, the St James's Place Foundation and local groups including the Friends of the Derwen.
The mayor said: "The Derwen has always been part of the Oswestry community.
"And we are working to make it more of a part of the Oswestry community and for it to have closer links to the people of Oswestry."
Executive principal Ruth Thomas said she was delighted to have the new food centre open.
She said: "The food centre is going to provide our students with an excellent working environment.
"It will help us to continue to develop our high quality vocational education.
"This helps our students build their skills and puts them in a good place for employment in the future."
Derwen College was founded in 1927 by Dame Agnes Hunt to offer vocational training courses to young people with disabilities.
The large campus has been designed to provide for the diverse needs of the students and is all single-storey and one site.
All training departments offer real work and learning environments, with some areas being open to the public such as The Orangery Restaurant, The Gallery, Young's Farm Shop, The Garden Centre, Tiffins and The Coffee Shop.
