BUILDING work is under way on a £3million redevelopment of Christchurch’s Christian college.

The plans for Moorlands College at Sopley have involved years of planning and fundraising.

By next month, the current dining hall will be gone and a new community hub will begin to take its place, with windows looking out on to the New Forest.

The aim is to equip students to show the relevance of the Christian message today.

Staff, students, board members and supporters have cycled hundreds of miles, completed several marathons, sung for 24 hours, and hit countless golf balls in their fundraising efforts.

The college has already raised £2.6million of the £3million target with the help of supporters – enough to complete the initial phase of the project.

The final £400,000 will provide furnishings, kitchen facilities, a new reception area, and audio-visual equipment. Principal the Rev Steve Brady said with the number of students growing steadily, the need for the buildings to be updated was becoming more apparent.

But he added: “We are not primarily here to build buildings, or to be remembered for cathedrals. Our lasting monuments need to be in the lives of people, who are growing to be more like Jesus.”

Moorlands College offers a range of applied theology courses, with its honours degrees validated by the University of Gloucestershire.

Its MA and BA degrees, and its diplomas and certificates of higher educations, are designed to give students the foundations on which to build life and ministry. The courses are taught by theologians and practitioners with ministry experience and involve placements in a church or another Christian organisation.