LEGENDARY football manager Sir Bobby Robson will be back on home ground on Thursday when he opens a community IT learning facility close to his childhood home in Langley Park, near Durham.

The former Newcastle United and England boss has been invited to unveil the facility, containing 16 workstations, by Durham Logistics College (DLC).

It is close to the college's new head office in the converted stables of the former Co-op, in Front Street, and has been furnished and equipped with support from the Learning and Skills Counci.

The facility will be available to everyone in the community who wants to improve their skills, with a variety of tutorials and courses available, including Skills for Life, basic word processing courses and Internet design.

Sir Bobby said: "I was very pleased when I heard about the new facility and I'm delighted to come along and help out with the launch.

"I know from my own days in the village how important it is to have facilities that local people can use for sports, learning and leisure.

"In particular, it's nice to see part of the old Co-op building, which was once at the heart of the community, being restored for such a worthwhile use, helping local people to improve their skills and employability."

Sir Bobby was born in Sacriston in 1933 and moved to Langley Park only a few months later, settling first in Church Street, before moving to George Street and finally to Langley Street.

He attended Langley Park School and then Waterhouse Intermediate School, while playing for Langley Park Juniors, before starting work in the local colliery at the age of 15.

But 18 months later he was signed up for Fulham, but he has never forgotten his roots and continues to maintain a home in the area.

DLC is a national organisation that provides specialist training for the transport and logistics sectors.

It runs more than 1,000 different courses in areas such as IT, management, productivity and purchasing, with about 3,000 students annually.

The company employs 25 people at its base in Langley Park and recently became a founder member of Logistics Excellence North East, a new Centre of Vocational Excellence.