FIVE decades. That is how long Mid Cheshire College in Hartford, latterly known as Warrington and Vale Royal College, was an unmistakable landmark of the Northwich area.

A feature in the lives of local residents for generations, it gave countless young people a chance at an education, and a future.

Yet walking past the site now brings a sense of irrepressible sadness. The college has been demolished and the site is being cleared. Glossy billboards that line the site’s perimeter boast that there will be 128 houses built on the land, as well as car parking facilities and a green public space.

But for generations of former learners, those homes will always represent lost opportunities for the town’s young people.

Northwich Guardian:

The college being demolished last year

One of those former learners is Northwich resident Brian Vickers.

In 1963, he enrolled on an Electrical and Building course at Mid Cheshire college. More than 50 years later, in 2017, his granddaughter, Tilly, now 18, started at the college on a two-year music course.

However, the college’s closure was announced at the end of her first year, forcing her to travel to Warrington, 13 miles away, in order to complete her qualification.

This move put an end to what had been a cherished connection Tilly had shared with her grandfather.

READ>Pet sheep killed and mutilated in gruesome attack, police say

“I went to the high school across from [the college], Hartford High School. Whenever my Grandad would pick me up, he’d always say, ‘I remember my time round here. It was such a good time’.

“It was always something that we had in common after that. He wasn’t just talking about it to reminisce about his ‘good old days’; he was talking about it to connect with me and so we had something we have shared. And that is really important..”

In a real-world sense too, the college’s practical education has been of great benefit. For Mr Vickers, it gave him the skills he needed to start his own business.

“After leaving he ended up owning his own electrical business, which is still in our family, and we’ve put in the electrics for most of Northwich by now,” Tilly said.

“And that was all because of Mid Cheshire College, you wouldn’t have learned to do any of that anywhere else.”

Northwich Guardian:

Tilly and grandfather Brian Vickers

This story is endemic of a wider issue with the lack of funding and facilities available for vocational further education in the UK.

A report from the Association of Colleges found that in 2016, there were 325 Further Education colleges in the UK. By 2020, that number had fallen to just 244.

“I’m a very shy, anxious person. At first I didn’t speak to anybody; I was very quiet,” Tilly added.

“But by the end of the first year, I knew every single person on that course – it had made me take a step outside of my shell. That isn’t something you can be taught in a lesson.

READ>Northwich entrepreneur named one of UK's top 100 businesswomen

“When it was announced that the college was going to be shut down, people who went there all spoke out. How many people have come through those doors? They were all affected by it.

“I don’t think the locals get listened to because there’s so much money and power in that land, and the negative opinions from local people aren’t going to change how much money they make from it.”

For Brian, the college’s demolition will be felt across the local area:.

He added: “It will have a terrible impact. It was a great learning centre, and [losing it] will really lower the learning opportunities of the area.”