A former Weymouth student turned globetrotter and successful businesswoman has 'officially' graduated from university - 31 years after she got her degree.

Nicola Willis-Jones, 61, graduated at an Open University degree ceremony in Milton Keynes for the course that she successfully finished in 1992 but wasn't able to attend an official event at the time.

Nicola, who now lives in the United States, co-ordinated attending the ceremony with a visit to see family in the UK and a reunion with former Weymouth classmates from the Broadwey County Secondary Modern.

Nicola said: "Even though it was 31 years late, it was one of the proudest moments of my life. That ceremony means something. Whilst I didn't think I was very clever at school the Open University instilled a love of learning."

The former Broadwey County Secondary Modern student (now Wey Valley Academy) opted to study an open degree at the Open University with her partner at the time when they were both in the RAF.

It took seven years of part-time study as she carried on working in Germany and then in Australia.

She revealed how much has changed with learning as technology has advanced over the years.

Nicola said: "I never thought I would get a degree, but the Open University was a way to study whilst working. It was very portable, even more so now with the internet, so you can do it anywhere and at a pace that suits you.

"We handed in work by post back then so deadlines had to be met early to make sure they arrived on time and then the long wait to get assignments back."

After leaving school, Nicola did a catering course at South Dorset Technical College and later joined the RAF as a chef.

She is now bringing the homely tasty treats of the UK to the United States as she runs an award-winning pasty shop in Vienna, Virginia, just outside Washington DC, the only one in the state.

Her company Pure Pasty Company made the headlines in the UK in 2018 and 2019 by winning the World Pasty Championship, held at The Eden Project in Cornwall.