Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Edinburgh has officially opened Canterbury Christ Church University’s Verena Holmes Building and the Kent and Medway Medical School (KMMS) at its Pears building on the University of Kent’s Canterbury campus.

The £65million Verena Holmes Building is one of the largest science, technology, engineering, health and medicine education facilities in the south east, and incorporates the Kent and Medway Medical School (KMMS), a joint collaboration between Canterbury Christ Church University and the University of Kent.

It is named after Ashford-born Verena Holmes, one of the country’s most pioneering female mechanical engineers, reflecting the University’s ambition to increase diversity and widen opportunities in STEM education and careers.