SUFFOLK New College is celebrating a £500,000 boost towards the building of a new sports hall on campus.The college marked the approval of an application to Sport England with a balloon launch over Ipswich.

SUFFOLK New College is celebrating a £500,000 boost towards the building of a new sports hall on campus.

The college marked the approval of an application to Sport England with a balloon launch over Ipswich.

The net proceeds from the money raised from the sale of the balloons to staff and students will go to the Prince's Trust Million Makers Enterprise Challenge.

Suffolk New College is one of only 50 organisations across the country and the only one in Suffolk that has taken up the challenge to help raise a total of £1 million to support the work of the Trust.

All departments in the college are involved in an attempt take an initial sum of £3000 received from the Trust and turn it into a profit of at least £20,000 within six months. The clock started ticking on August 1 and stops on January 31.

The new £70 million college building will open in September next year followed by the hall in 2010 on a site where existing college buildings are due to be demolished.

The college currently has outline planning permission for the hall and is due to finalise the design.

The £500,000 from Sports England will enable the college to deliver a sports hall suitable for the curriculum now and in the future.

The hall will be the size of four badminton courts and include changing rooms, fitness room, and space for some tuition of classes.

Principal Dave Muller said of the project: “This is an exciting project as the college lost its hall early on in the campus development project and whilst maintaining a good sports provision it has been a challenge using a range of alternative facilities nearby.

“This project is critical in terms of supporting the health and fitness of young people in South Suffolk.”