A GROUP set up to safeguard further education in Billingham has disbanded after claiming it had achieved its goal.

The Save Our College group was formed six years ago to try to stop plans to merge the Stockton and Billingham College sites in Thornaby.

Although the decision was made to close the separate college sites last year, the group continued to fight to establish outreach courses and to strengthen the position of Bede College to guarantee further education in the town.

However, an announcement by Stockton Borough Council that the regeneration of Billingham would include the provision of higher education, has been welcomed by the group.

Chairman of the Save our College group, Harry Davies, said: "In the regeneration plan agreed by Stockton council it safeguards secondary and further education in Billingham.

"It is possible that Bede College will be involved in that, and the college has agreed to take part in the regeneration."

Mr Davies has joined a new sub-committee at Bede College, which will look at the best ways further education can be delivered to the people of Billingham.

He has also been invited to join the Billingham Regeneration Board which is in charge of all the plans for the town's future, including education.

Mr Davies said: "This is a significant achievement by the people of Billingham. As a group we were powerless without public support.

"First, we needed money to obtain the legal expertise, which was crucial. That was achieved in a very short time.

"Second, we had to show the town was behind Save Our College. The public came forward in their thousands to sign, not one, but two petitions, which demonstrated over a period of time that their fervour had not diminished.

"We held an appeal meeting in the community hall but it was too small for the numbers who turned out, so we had to move to the college theatre."

A spokeswoman for Stockton council said a lot of work was in progress regarding Billingham regeneration, which included further education, but no details had been finalised.

Following the winding down of the group, £300 was left in the funds, and that has been handed over to the Billingham Community Centre which was at the centre of the group's operations