WARRINGTON and Vale Royal College has proudly cut the ribbon on its exciting new technological hub.

It has opened as part of a generous £2million investment delivered by the Department for Education.

Visitors gathered at the campus to see doors of the centre officially open last month.

It features a host of impressive facilities including dance and acting studios with sprung floors, a green-screen TV studio, a motion capture suite, digital suites, an Esports suite and specialist artistic workshops.

The launch event saw some familiar faces from the town attend, including Warrington North MP Charlotte Nichols and Mayor of Warrington Cllr Jean Flaherty.

Guests were welcomed with canapés and refreshments served at the college’s award-winning Buckley’s Restaurant.

People were then escorted to the theatre for a presentation, only to be surprised with a flash-mob performance by some of the college’s talented performing arts students, who delivered a marvellous rendition of Feeling Good.

Principal and chief executive Nichola Newton and centre manager Stephanie Doyle took to the stage to speak of the centre’s journey to opening.

This was followed by a talk from Arthur Parsons, design director at 10:10 Games, and Paul Chadwick, director at Prism Studios, as well as two heart-warming speeches from students Riley Lambert and Dean Crimp.

Ms Nichols officially opened the centre and delivered a speech sharing her enthusiasm about the centre and the amazing opportunities it will bring to the town.

Stephanie said: “I am incredibly proud that our ACDS Centre is officially open.

“I have never been so proud to work for such a forward-thinking and dedicated college. My heart bursts when I look back at what we have achieved so far.

“Today marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter in the creative and digital industries, and we are proud to be at the forefront of this movement.

“We look forward to welcoming students, businesses and organisations to the ACDS Centre, and to supporting their growth and success.”

To find out more about the ACDS Centre, and to explore the wide range of creative and digital courses on offer for both adults and school leavers, visit wvr.ac.uk/acds