Businesses have descended on the University of Cumbria's newest state of the art building.

A business breakfast networking event has been held, in partnership with the Lancaster & District Chamber of Commerce, on the Lancaster campus.

The Sentamu building, which has now been officially opened, cost £9m.

The event provided the opportunity for attendees to explore the market place where a range of businesses were showcasing and networking.

Business owners were also given the opportunity to promote themselves through quick-fire, 60 second pitch.

Steve Wood, business development manager at the university said: “The event was a celebration of two things. One was to invite business leaders to look at the new building, and the other was to provide them with an opportunity to network.

"We also wanted to demonstrate that the University of Cumbria is part of the business community, and we want to help and support businesses to grow."

Mr Wood added: "We are very pleased with the level of support from the business community at the event. We want to work closely with the businesses of South Cumbria and north Lancashire."

Bespoke Partnerships representative, Diane Chambers, said: "This has been a great opportunity to meet other local businesses. It has been great to introduce and network our business with others.

"The facilities here for conferencing and networking are amazing. This has been a masterstroke in showcasing the building, and everyone here has been extremely impressed."

The building has been named in honour of the university’s chancellor, the Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu.

It was opened by Edwin Booth, an honorary fellow of the University of Cumbria and chairman of the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership (LEP), which contributed £2.5m towards the project.

Dr Michele Lawty-Jones, Director of the Lancashire Skills and Employment Hub, which is part of the LEP, said: “This state of the art teaching building offers first class accommodation with modern teaching and learning facilities.

"It will play a key role in improving the skills of the county’s health and social care workforce, helping to transform the sector for years to come.

“This partnership with the University of Cumbria is a fantastic example of how the LEP uses its investment funds, as part of our ambitious strategic growth plan, to help realise the kind of projects that bring huge benefits to the county’s economy.

“I am delighted that we are now just a few weeks away from this fantastic new teaching block opening its doors to students.”

The new facility will train an additional 580 students, helping to meet the demand for health and social care services in Lancashire.