Lord Seb Coe and Hannah Cockroft give their golden approval of Ravenscliffe@SpringHall

VIDEO and PICTURE SPECIAL: Official opening of Ravenscliffe@SpringHall in Halifax

Hundreds of supporters celebrated the opening of Ravenscliffe@SpringHall, the new sixth form centre for Ravenscliffe High School.

Lord Sebastian Coe and Halifax's paralympic star Hannah Cockroft unveiled a new £3.4m sixth for centre for Ravenslicffe High School.

VIDEO: Lord Sebastian Coe and Hannah Cockroft open Ravenscliffe sixth form centre

The new building overlooks the paralympic gold medallist and world champion's home track in Halifax on the historic Spring Hall estate.

"This place is amazing. I have seen this place grow from the ground up," said Hannah.

"We now have this amazing facility. For so long I think Spring Hall has been underused and under appreciated. And now we have this building.

"This will not only be a fantastic facility for Ravenscliffe students, and hopefully Martin will get a few more out on that track to make more paralympic champions, but hopefully the people of Calderdale will really take it in and make use of it now.

"I want to see people coming to get fit and healthy.

"I hope everyone will really enjoy this facility because I know I definitely will because this is still going to be my home track and this is still going to be where I train for the next paralympics in Tokyo.

"So a massive thank you to everyone who has supported this project. This really wouldn't have happened without them."

The local and wider community have pulled together in a unique way to raise over £1.8m of funds to supplement the £1.6m allocated to the school for this development by Calderdale Council in 2011, using a funding allocation they received back in 2011 from central government.

Lord Coe said he had profound respect for what head teacher Martin Moorman and the school has achieved.

"To be standing here from a culmination of what has been such an epic journey is extraordinary.

"I am delighted to be here at the side of a track. My job is a wonderful as president.

"I have spent most of the summer travelling 50, 000 miles.

"I spend most of my time trying to save running tracks and facilities that are discarded.

"To be here not only to witness a track that is serving the community in a extraordinary way but also to be witnessing a new facility that isn't just serving a local community and athletics club but is meshing in educational and life ambitions of young people, career opportunities and having the opportunity to make the right life decisions - it never ceases to make me proud that sport so often kicks that off.

"I will remember this day for many many years to come and in a way it is a fitting climax to the season that has taken me around the world and now finished in Halifax at the side of a track."