An independent school in east Suffolk is hoping its newly launched sixth form college will become a social hub for the wider community.

Framlingham College marked a highlight of its 150th anniversary celebrations on Saturday when it opened the new sixth form centre and café at the heart of the school.

As reported in Monday’s EADT, the launch of the £2.7m facility, was said to be an “exhilarating occasion” for students past and present.

Headmaster Paul Taylor, who devised the project, has since announced his intention for it to become a resource for the whole town to enjoy.

The two storey, glass-fronted extension, features four new classrooms and a large ground-floor café, which is to be made available for community use.

Mr Taylor said the building’s mixture of design styles is intended to reflect the college’s outlook in its anniversary year.

“This blend of the old with the new represents so much of what this school is about – change and continuity,” he said.

“The glass fronted façade reflects that this school is a forward-thinking, outward-looking and dynamic environment; while the exposed brickwork of the original building inside reminds us of our heritage and of the traditional values that have underpinned the school since its foundation.

“In our anniversary year, it is important to ensure that we remain true to our founding principles, but also that we continue to reinterpret those principles and apply them to the students of today and the world into which they will be graduating. In many ways, therefore, it is a case of ‘back to the future’.”

Saturday’s formal opening of the new building was carried out by Richard Sayer, who is president of the Society of Old Framlinghamians.

It follows a period of concerted fundraising from the school and its supporters to mark the 150th anniversary.