Visitors to a college open evening tucked into free mince pies and mulled wine while they found out about the courses on offer.

MidKent College staff and students held a Christmas-themed open evening at the Horsted campus in Chatham.

Staff and current students were well prepared to welcome potential learners, with subject experts on hand to offer advice to those needing it.

One eager visitor was 15-year-old Michael Ashfield, a reptile fanatic, who went along to find out more about animal care courses.

Michael said: “I absolutely love working with animals, particularly reptiles, and want to be able to make a career out of it one day.”

The event had been originally scheduled for Monday, November 10, but had to be cancelled following a power cut.

But this did not affect visitor numbers, with nearly 600 people arriving at the campus on the re-scheduled date.

The college holds open evenings every November, March and June at its three centres in Chatham, Rochester and Maidstone.

If you want to find out more about studying at MidKent College, visit the website at www.midkent.ac.uk or call the course information line on 01634 402020.