A new education centre has been opened at the Great Central Railway following a project supported by Loughborough Town Deal.

The Robinson Centre will be used to educate apprentices at the heritage railway and host engagement programmes with local schools.

The project was backed by Loughborough Town Deal with £280,000 of funding.

The Town Deal secured £16.9 million from the Government's Towns Fund. It has backed 11 projects which in total are worth more than £40 million of investment for the town.

Martin Traynor OBE, chair of Loughborough Town Deal, said: "The Great Central Railway is a historic site in the heart of Loughborough and a key part of the town's local tourism economy.

"The education centre is a state-of-the-art building with modern technology to teach the next generation of engineers whilst also demonstrating the heritage of the site.

"We are proud to have supported a project which will help continue their work for years to come."

The Robinson Centre is located at the railway's locomotive repair works at the north end of Loughborough station on Great Central Road.

The project also included the refurbishment of the existing locomotive shed where the restoration and maintenance to historic steam locomotives takes place.

The refurbishment includes resurfacing of walkways and creating designated routes for visitors, new racking to store materials and replace damaged and missing cladding to provide better weather protection.

The total cost of the project is £780,000.

Malcolm Holmes, General Manager at the Great Central Railway, said: "We are incredibly grateful for this investment and the continued support from the Loughborough Town Deal.

"As a not-for-profit, volunteer-led organisation, this backing is vital. It helps us protect the railway for generations to come, preserve traditional engineering skills and inspire the young people who will carry this heritage forward. The Robinson Centre will play a key role in ensuring our history remains alive for the future."

To find out more about the Great Central Railway, visit its website.

This is one of 11 schemes backed by the Town Deal with other projects including the creation of a Digital Skills Hub at Loughborough College, improvements to footpaths on the Union Canal, support the town's historic Taylor's Bell Foundry and improve the town centre.