We officially opened our developed Barham skills centre yesterday. At a special event held to thank some of the many grant-giving organisations and individuals who supported us in a six-year, £2 million fundraising campaign, the two new activity rooms and amenity hub were ceremonially named.

The Fifth Trust chair of trustees, Suzanne O’Brien, welcomed guests, saying: “I am so proud to be part of this project. It shows we can deliver extraordinary dreams – a better world of opportunity for our students.”

Lucy’s Media Suite was opened by her uncle, Ben Carroll. “The whole family is delighted that Lucy is being remembered in this way,” he said. “We have seen the care, love and attention that The Fifth Trust staff give to students and Lucy’s sense of achievement was wonderful to see.”

Student Michael Simms cut the ribbon for the Art Studio and told some well-received jokes! Major donor Bradbury Foundation’s UK representative Hugh Inman opened the Bradbury Hub and explained why the charitable trust chose to support the project. “When we first visited four years ago what we really liked was the atmosphere – the obvious warmth and compassion,” he said.

The skills centre was blessed by the Rev Stefan Thomas before guests were invited to tour the buildings, talk to instructors and students and see an exhibition of their work.

The new activity rooms are used for media, art, craft, print and photography sessions. The amenity hub has a canteen, personal care facilities and an exhibition space for student work. The site is also home to our horticulture department, including a propagation unit growing stock for the Vineyard Garden Centre.

Celebrations will continue with a party for students and their families later this month, and an open week when we will be inviting anyone interested to come in to look around.

Watch our video to see the finished buildings, and hear a message from our students.