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Campaigners battling to save Flintshire's Ysgol Mornant from closure to stage protest
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11:36, 22 September 2015
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<span class="">By</span>
<a href="http://www.dailypost.co.uk/authors/sarah-hogson/" rel="author" itemprop="author">Sarah Hodgson</a>
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They say if the Picton school was to close it would cause 'devastating damage' to the Welsh language and the community
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<span>Parents and supporters of Ysgol Mornant in Picton</span>
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<p>Campaigners against the closure of a village Welsh-medium primary school will stage a protest later this week.</p> <p>Parents and supporters of Ysgol Mornant will rally together at the former Point of Ayr Colliery in <a href="http://www.dailypost.co.uk/all-about/ffynnongroyw">Ffynnongroyw</a> on Thursday, September 24, in a bid to save the closure-threatened school.</p> <p>Its future was cast into doubt in June as <a href="http://www.dailypost.co.uk/all-about/flintshire-council">Flintshire County Council</a> launched an “informal consultation” into the Picton school as well as Ysgol Maes Edwin in Flint Mountain and Ysgol Llanfynydd.</p> <p>The decision came as <a href="http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/cash-strapped-flintshire-council-tipping-10024291">the council battles to save £52.8m over three years</a>, with chiefs warning that if the <a href="http://www.dailypost.co.uk/all-about/welsh-government">Welsh Government</a> does not provide more financial assistance school budgets will be “significantly reduced”.</p> <h3 align="center">Protest</h3> <p>The peaceful protest will coincide with <a href="http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/memorial-honour-point-ayr-colliery-10101488">the official opening of the Point of Ayr Colliery Memorial</a>, alongside the A548 Coast Road in Ffynnongroyw, which will be performed by Delyn MP David Hanson.</p> <p>The
memorial will remember the many miners who selflessly toiled
underground at the Point of Ayr Colliery, until it closed in 1996.</p> <p>John
Wiltshire of Ffynnongroyw Mining and Village Heritage Group told the
Daily Post: “We are happy for supporters of the school to stage a silent
protest at the opening ceremony and have no objections.</p> <p>“This is an issue that affects all of our community.”</p> <p>
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<img src="http://i3.dailypost.co.uk/incoming/article9485314.ece/ALTERNATES/s615/JS66343697.jpg" alt="" title="Ysgol Mornant in Picton which is threatened with closure" height="409" width="615">
Ysgol Mornant in Picton which is threatened with closure
<p>Residents, parents, staff and former pupils say that if the
school closes it will cause “devastating damage” to the Welsh language
and the community.</p> <p>They say that if they lose the school,
youngsters will have to travel seven miles away to the nearest Welsh
medium school Ysgol Gwenffrwd in <a href="http://www.dailypost.co.uk/all-about/holywell">Holywell</a> or face having to cross the border to Prestatyn.</p> <p>A
spokesman for the campaign group to save Ysgol Mornant said: “We
believe the closure of Ysgol Mornant by the county council is
ill-advised and wrong and would ultimately result in the death of the
Welsh language in the area.</p> <p>“As things stand it looks to us that <a href="http://www.dailypost.co.uk/all-about/flintshire">Flintshire</a> County Council are paying lip service to the Welsh Government’s own language policy.”</p> <h3 align="center">Consultation</h3> <p>Council
chiefs say the “informal consultation” into the three schools’ future
is needed to reduce the county’s 2,172 surplus places and say the
schools met several “triggers” for review.</p> <p>According to figures from January 2015, Ysgol Mornant had 48 pupils, while Ysgol Llanfynydd had 42 and Ysgol Maes Edwin 66.</p> <p>However,
chief executive Colin Everett has previously stated that no decision
has yet been made over any of the schools, which could be closed by
September 2016.</p> <p>More than 780 people have signed a petition
against the closure, while the campaign has also been backed by Llanasa
Community Council, local county councillors including Glyn Banks, as
well as Sir y Fflint dros Addysg Gymraeg (SYFFLAG) who were instrumental
in saving Ysgol Terrig in Treuddyn and Ysgol Gwenffrwd in Holywell.</p> <p>A
spokesman for SYFFLAG said: “We are going to fight to keep this Welsh
medium primary school in this part of North Wales, and would urge
everyone who supports the Welsh language to sign the online petition.”</p><p><a href="http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/campaigners-battling-save-flintshires-ysgol-10106291">http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/campaigners-battling-save-flintshires-ysgol-10106291</a><br></p></div></div></div><br clear="all"><br>-- <br><div class="gmail_signature">**************************************<br>N.b.: Listing on the lgpolicy-list is merely intended as a service to its members<br>and implies neither approval, confirmation nor agreement by the owner or sponsor of the list as to the veracity of a message's contents. Members who disagree with a message are encouraged to post a rebuttal, and to write directly to the original sender of any offensive message. A copy of this may be forwarded to this list as well. (H. Schiffman, Moderator)<br><br>For more information about the lgpolicy-list, go to <a href="https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/" target="_blank">https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/</a><br>listinfo/lgpolicy-list<br>*******************************************</div>
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