The local community are being offered the opportunity to explore the new £30 million South West College Erne campus.

The doors of the new campus are being opened to the general public for the first time on Saturday, November 6 with a series of guided tours planned to showcase the world’s most sustainable educational campus.

The Erne Campus which was officially opened by Minister for the Economy, Gordon Lyons MLA in September will open to the public for a very special ‘Explore the Erne’ open day event. Visitors will be offered a guided tour of the campus’ world-leading facilities with highlights including the industry-leading hair and beauty salons, science laboratories, media, art and design suites, training kitchens, learning resource centre and the new Erne Restaurant.

The event has been planned to coincide with the International Passive House Open Days which recognise and celebrate the world’s most sustainable buildings which have been designed and constructed with strict adherence to the Passive House principles. The Erne Campus is currently the largest building in the world to have achieved the Passive House Premium standard and is the first educational building in the UK to be Passive House Premium certified.

Carol Viney, Erne Campus Manager is looking forward to inviting community members in to visit the building and said: "The Erne Campus is a wonderful new facility, not just for Enniskillen and the wider Fermanagh community but for the South West region. The building has been designed to achieve the highest standards in environmental sustainability and to ensure that our students have access to the most up-to-date resources that will facilitate and enhance their learning experience."

Carol added that feedback from staff and students who have been using the building over the last few months has been very positive and appreciates the level of goodwill and support from local industry, residents and community groups throughout the development and opening of the campus.

Places on the guided tours will be offered on a first-come basis and registration is now open online at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/erne-campus-public-tours-tickets-182726739597