NEW principal Greg Smith revealed governors were poised to invest £500,000 as he cut the ribbon to mark the end of RFDC 25 years after the college first opened.

As Gloucestershire College officially took over the Five Acres site, the senior management team faced students for the first time and told them governors had agreed the cash injection that morning.

Around £250,000 will be used to repair the buildings and the rest on updating computers and installing interactive white boards in the classrooms.

Cutting the ribbon on the Gloucester- shire College sign Mr Smith said: "I am sure this will be great news for the staff, students and people in the Forest.

"We are here for the long run and are prepared to invest in the Forest.

"I had a meeting this morning where it was agreed to spend half a million pounds on the college.

"We are putting our money where our mouth is and I can guarantee that anybody who has started their course here, will finish it here."

New site principal Lynne Craig also revealed that she was looking at new technology to bridge the miles between the Forest, Cheltenham and Gloucester rather than expecting students to travel between campuses.

Asked if she would close A-Level classes with too few students in future, she revealed that she is investigating the possibility of using video conferencing specially designed for the classroom to allow students to study courses with low demand.

The pioneering learning technology, which means students in classrooms miles apart can share teachers, has been used successfully in rural areas such as Scotland.

She also told students that they will soon be able to study outdoor pursuits qualifications at Five Acres.

Today she will meet secondary headteachers from across the Forest at the Speech House Hotel.

After cutting the ribbon, Mr Smith and Ms Craig held a question and answer session with students packed into the theatre.

There was the odd boo but the vast majority of students applauded the Gloucestershire team.

Students, who told The Forester they had not noticed any difference during the transfer process, wanted firm assurances for the future.

Hot topics included the provision of courses, a possible new campus at Cinderford and the closure of the student common room.

Senior RFDC staff were missing from the event. Ex-principal Janak Patel has a new job and former assistant principal Sandi Lang and three heads of learning took voluntary redundancy. Former vice-principal Paul Sparks will leave this summer.

More than 200 past and present members of staff turned out for a party at the college on Saturday night to mark the end of an era after 25 years.