Bradford Law School is booming with an 80 per cent increase in students this year.

The full-time course has seen admissions soar this year and numbers have been boosted by the introduction of a four-year, part-time course in September.

The new study programme is designed to meet the needs of students who want to continue working during the daytime. And demand is already high for both full-time and part-time courses next year.

Students range from 18-year-olds to the over-60s and, while the majority are from the Bradford area, some have come from Jordan, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Sweden and Hong Kong.

Fiona Brandt, of Shipley Fields Road, Shipley, was one student with more reason to cheer than most when she graduated from the law school last summer.

The 34-year-old managed to combine studying with bringing up eight-year-old twins single-handedly and battling with the painful pelvic condition endometriosis. And, after getting a second class honours degree, she has been accepted to study to become a barrister at Manchester University next September.

Fiona decided to take GCSE law after she had twins, Stephanie and Scott, and following a string of jobs, including being a painter and decorator and a waitress. She went on to do an A-level and then decided to take the law degree at Bradford Law School, part of Bradford College.

She said: "I wanted to do law from the age of 15 but was told it would take five years and I was put off. But, after the encouragement I got when I was taking my GCSE and A-level I decided to go for it." There were lots of moments when I wanted to give up but the staff and students at the college were brilliant. It wasn't until I finished the course that I realised how hard it had been. It has been really tough but extremely rewarding."

Law lecturer and year tutor Darran Chapple said there were many reasons why the law course has become more popular:

"The flexible programmes and part-time law degree have improved access to law to lots more people with commitments," he said

He also said Bradford attracts people from many different cultural backgrounds and he added: "That is part of the appeal of Bradford as a community in itself."