A SIXTH form centre extension has received the blessing of a bishop.

Bishop Seamus Cunningham, Roman Catholic Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle, visited St Bede’s Catholic School and Sixth Form College, in Lanchester, County Durham, to bless a new Sixth Form Learning Centre.

The bishop also named the centre in honour of Denis McNally, a strong supporter of Catholic schools.

He shared his memories of arriving in Leadgate, near Consett, as a parish priest in 1966 and chatted with pupils about his youth in rural Ireland and schooling today.

In a service, Bishop Cunningham spoke of the spirituality evident throughout his visit and the care and respect between students and teachers at the school.