Studying for a law degree is difficult enough. It is even harder if you are also working as a postmistress and bringing up two young children.

That is exactly what Clare Holmes did and now she is planning to train as a solicitor and work for the Crown Prosecution Service.

Clare, 28, from Ditchling, was one of hundreds of graduates to take part in the Open University's graduation ceremony on Saturday.

The ceremony at the Dome in Brighton was one of 27 taking place for more than 11,500 graduates from all over the UK and Europe.

They were presented with their degrees, postgraduate degrees and diplomas by Betty Boothroyd, former speaker of the House of Commons.

Clare said: "It was hard work but I have got a very understanding husband who was good at letting me have time off when I needed it.

"We could arrange things around our work patterns although it meant a lot of long days and long nights."

Clare, whose children, Katie and James, are now aged three years and six weeks, also had to look after the post office single-handedly when her husband David, 42, fell ill with a rare condition.

He had to have part of his lung removed and needed three months off work to recover.

She said: "It has been a lot of hard work and I have had a lot of support from my family helping to look after the children and the shop.

"Any time I felt like giving up, I remembered it wasn't just me putting in all the hard work, it was them as well."

Retired headteacher Clive Sexton, 50, from Partridge Green in Horsham, graduated with an MA in literature.

He said studying for his degree, which took three years to complete, had given him a new focus while he was recovering from cancer.

He said: "It was quite different from what I was used to. I had to learn a lot of research skills and that was very exciting. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

"The ceremony was great. It was very gratifying and pleasing to have all the hard work acknowledged."

Clive is now hoping to undertake a research degree.

Andrew Gordon, 43, from Eastbourne, graduated with a diploma in social work, which the father-of-two hopes to be able to put to good use in his job with a national children's charity.

He said: "Hopefully, I will be able to use it to promote myself within my job.

"It's been hard work doing the degree and working full-time but I am very pleased indeed."

Other graduates from Sussex are Barrie Garcia, from Brighton, BSc honours technology; Jack Champ, from Crawley, BSc honours open degree; Karen Porter, from East Grinstead, BSc honours psychology; Nadine Hawkins, from Crawley, BSc honours psychology; Nicky Bleakley, from Worthing, BSc honours human geography; and Sarah Ethridge, from Bognor, BSc honours psychology.