By Bruce Sinclair
Copyright walesonline
A petition urging Pembrokeshire County Council to keep a village school open, despite it being severely damaged in a 2022 fire, has gained more than 1,000 signatures and will be discussed at an upcoming council meeting. During the May meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council members supported a report from the School Modernisation Working Group which proposed consulting with the St David’s Diocese about discontinuing Manorbier Church in Wales Voluntary Controlled School, Ysgol Clydau in Tegryn, and establishing Cilgerran Church in Wales Voluntary Controlled School as a 3-11 Community School. Manorbier Church in Wales VC School and its adjoining schoolhouse suffered severe damage due to a fire on October 11, 2022, which started in the school roof space. For the biggest stories in Wales first sign up to our daily newsletter . In response a ‘school from school’ has been established in Jameston Village Hall. Following the May meeting a general consultation on Manorbier and Ysgol Clydau was approved by councillors in July. Since then Rebecca Williams has launched an e-petition on behalf of Manorbier on the county council’s own website, which has so far received 1,063 signatures. If a petition receives 500 signatures the creator is given the chance to debate it at a future full council meeting. Any petition that garners more than 100 signatures prompts a debate at one of the council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committees. The petition, which argues that shutting the school “will have a detrimental impact on the wellbeing of our children, their families and the wider community”, declares: “The school has been open since 1873. (152years! ). “We would have been celebrating our 150-year anniversary there in January 2023 had it not been for the fire that damaged the building. A fire, we hasten to add, caused through no fault of our own. A fire which could, if you allow it to, change the future of our children; our staff; our parents; our governors; our community; our church; our heritage and our history. We fully support the Diocesan’s view that the school should be rebuilt. “We, the undersigned, beseech Pembrokeshire County Council to reconsider its decision to close Manorbier Church in Wales School and instead honour its promise to rebuild the school; prioritise the needs of the community by rebuilding the school; allowing the dedicated staff and families the opportunity to open its doors to everyone once again.” It continued: “We urge you to rebuild our school, as promised; to engage in a meaningful dialogue with the community; listen to our concerns, and work with us to find a solution that supports the needs of our children and families.” A passionate appeal for Ysgol Clydau, which has garnered 196 signatures on its own petition so far, was previously delivered by local councillor Iwan Ward, who described it as “the heart of our society, not just a school, it’s family, a community, an anchor for children who deserve the opportunity to grow”. He went on to say that shutting the school would be “a disaster for the future of education locally” and was “not fair and was not moral”. Meanwhile a separate petition has been started for Ysgol Cilgerran, which has collected 20 signatures to date. Get daily breaking news updates on your phone by joining our WhatsApp community here . We occasionally treat members to special offers, promotions and ads from us and our partners. See our Privacy Notice .
