College Welcomes Lord Adonis & Frank Field MP to Officially Open Humanities Building

Birkenhead Sixth Form College welcomed Lord Adonis to officially open the new Wilfred Owen Humanities Building.

The Right Honourable Lord Adonis was joined by Frank Field, MP for Birkenhead, to unveil a plaque naming the college’s new building in honour of renowned Birkenhead First World War poet Wilfred Owen.

Lord Adonis and Frank Field MP met with Birkenhead Sixth Form College Principal Kathryn Podmore for a tour of the new building, before meeting students for a question and answer session on a range of political issues.

The plaque unveiled by Lord Adonis pays tribute to one of Britain’s most cherished war poets, who spent his formative years in Birkenhead and still serves as an inspiration to students.

Lord Adonis said: “This is a wonderful college with students who are enthusiastic and committed. They were all bursting to ask questions and were clearly politically engaged – I was particularly encouraged also by how many wanted to go on to university.

“The Principal and Governors at the college are doing a great job in extending the estate, with excellent new facilities which will benefit both the students and the local community.”

Kathryn Podmore, Birkenhead Sixth Form College Principal, said: “We are delighted to welcome Lord Adonis and Frank Field MP to celebrate the opening of our new Wilfred Owen Humanities Building.

“The new building will provide our Humanities students with excellent learning facilities for their A-level studies, giving them the best possible chance to achieve their goals. The people of Birkenhead and Wirral are rightly proud of the legacy left by Wilfred Owen and it seemed fitting that we named the building in his memory, highlighting its use for History and other Humanities subjects and celebrating Wilfred Owen’s connections to the area.

Frank Field said: “What you see which is so impressive here is the determination of the young people to work hard and do well. There is a grown up atmosphere in which the students are thriving and just by walking around the college you can feel it is an exciting environment to study in.”

The Wilfred Owen Humanities Building is part of a £3.5m development at Birkenhead Sixth Form College that includes new Learning Support and Science facilities and an Arts building to be opened in July.

All of the new building developments have been overseen by former BSFC student and architect Rachel Clegg, of Wirral based firm Ainsley Gommon Architects. The College is set for further improvement after recently receiving additional grant funding that will be put towards improving the College’s entrance as well as other facilities.