An award-winning journalist has opened a brand new state-of-the-art sports journalism school in Eastbourne.

Andrew Jennings, who has produced investigative reports for Panorama and World in Action, officially opened the centre at the Chelsea School – part of the University of Brighton’s Eastbourne campus.

The centre, which cost £300,000, is equipped with new computer terminals with Quark publishing packages and plasma screens showing Sky Sports and Sky news channels.

The new facilities will be used to educate future generations of sports journalists who will be able to carry out live match reports at the same time as working in newsroom environment.

Andrew also gave a talk to a packed lecture hall on his work investigating the International Olympic Committee and world football’s governing body FIFA.

Following a tour of the new facilities, Andrew also launched the Chelsea School’s Fuelling the Flame series – a programme of talks and events leading up to the 2012 Olympic Games.

Andrew said: “I’m very pleased to be here and to see the interest in investigative journalism which is important for the health of society and an important part of how we look at sport.”

Professor Jonathan Doust, head of the Chelsea School, described the ceremony as a “very proud moment for the school and a marker of the fantastic success of the sport journalism course”.

(L to R) pro-vice chancellor (research) Bruce Brown, Andrew Jennings, registrar and secretary Christine Moon and head of the Chelsea School Jonathan Doust