Regent College, Leicester's sports hall under way

Staff and students watched as work got under way on a £2.9 million college sports hall.

The hall at Regent College, Leicester, will include badminton, tennis, basketball and netball courts, a five-a-side football pitch, cricket nets and a fitness suite.

There will be computer suites and rooms for sports, health and social care and psychology teaching.

The cash has come from the sale of land to the University of Leicester to create a medical school, plus £800,000 from the Government's Education Funding Agency.

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An outdoor football pitch will also be created.

Principal Paul Wilson said: "It's fantastic to see our plans finally coming to fruition.

"They have been in the pipeline for three years, so this is very exciting.

"It's going to create some superb facilities for our sports curriculum as well as our enrichment activities.

"We also hope to engage with the community on their use so as many people as possible can utilise equipment and facilities.

"There will be no disruption to college life during the building work.

"We're very much looking forward to it being finished, as are the students.

Work started on the foundations on Monday and builder G F Tomlinson expects have completed it by October.

PE teacher Pete Thorpe said: "This will really enhance what we have to offer here."

"It means we can be competitive and it will also add to the whole social aspect."

Zahrah Mogra, 17, said: "It's going to mean great new facilities and I'm really looking forward to using the gym."

Mustafa Mohammad, 17, said: "It will mean we have great sports equipment to use both indoors and outdoors and can play other teams competitively, which we haven't really been able to do so far."

Joshua Lee, 17, said: "Although the equipment we have now is adequate, this is going to be of a much higher standard."