A college is preparing to mark its 70th anniversary year with major developments.

Portland College, on the border of Mansfield and Ashfield on Nottingham Road, is asking the public to help raise money towards a specially-adapted adventure zone and a new sports hall.

The woodland adventure zone would include a climbing wall, a 100-metre zip-wire, an adventure trail and a cycle trail.

The work is estimated to cost £300,000 and the college has challenging the public to raise £5,000 towards the project, which is expected to be completed by the summer.

It is hoped the development would offer people with disabilities, groups and primary school children access to the forest — with the public invited to use it at weekend for a small fee.

The college has also launched a campaign to raise funds for its Newstart Hall development, which will provide a modern sports hall to replace the current outdated one.

The existing area would be doubled in size and the inclusive leisure centre would have an interactive floor. The space could also be used as a theatre for performing arts with seating space for up to 150 people.

Portland is a national residential specialist college for people with physical and learning disabilities,

It started life in 1949 as an institution for training men who had been disabled through war injuries, and for miners injured or made ill through work.