Fircroft officially reopens!

Exactly a year since being devastated by fire, Fircroft College celebrated its official reopening in a ceremony attended by many students, staff and friends of Fircroft College.

No-one was hurt in the blaze on 15th October 2008, but hundreds of thousands of pounds of damage was caused to the roof and upper floors of the historic Edwardian main building. Since then sections of the College have remained closed while painstaking work has been carried out to return it to its former glory, with great care being taken to preserve and restore many of its original features.

Staff and friends of the College, which provides educational opportunities for many disadvantaged adults and for voluntary and community organisations, worked tirelessly to ensure minimal disruption and many courses at the College resumed just days after the initial fire.

Roger Cadbury, a Fircroft governor and grandson of College founder George Cadbury Jr, performed the honours and ‘cut the ribbon’ to officially reopen Fircroft. He comments, “I have happy memories of spending time here at my grandfather’s home and enjoying the huge gardens. It’s wonderful that students can once again enjoy this beautiful building and grounds.”

Fiona Larden, Fircroft Principal added, “This is a day of celebration and a fresh start for the College, in much the same way as it will be a fresh start for many of the students who will join us this year.”

The event attracted much attention from the local media, including press coverage in the Birmingham Mail and the Birmingham Post. The college also welcomed crews from Radio WM and from ITV Central News who came to cover the event and interview Fiona and Roger, as well as Duty Manager Martin Bain who was on duty on the night of the fire and escorted students to safety.

Click here to listen to an interview with Fiona and Martin on the Phil Upton breakfast show.

Click here to listen to Ed Doolan interviewing Roger Cadbury on his lunchtime show.