BURY'S brand new Adult Education Centre is now open for business in the former Halifax building in The Haymarket.

Most of the classes have moved over from the Arts and Crafts Centre which is being turned into a regimental museum for the Lancashire Fusiliers, after the council could not afford the £1.4 million to improve the Broad Street centre.

But local authority leaders say the new building - funded by the council to the tune of £382,000 and a £248,000 grant from the Learning and Skills Council - offers state-of-the-art facilities with full disabled access.

Its 18 teaching rooms offer more courses than could be accommodated in the old building, they say. Courses range from information technology, languages and maths to basic skills and ESOL (English to Speakers of Other Languages), family learning, citizenship, arts and crafts, domestic skills and gardening. Pottery, jewellery and photography classes will continue at the Arts and Crafts until the end of term this summer.

Councillor Maggie Gibb, executive member for lifelong learning, said: "This new centre will be a flagship building for the councils adult education service with superb facilities for a wide range of learners. It meets our promise to modernise and invest te service making it more accessible to more people and providing better facilities for everyone, including those moving from the old building."