THE chair of governors at a school threatened with closure is “very pleased” at the support shown.

A petition set up to save Ysgol Abersoch has 1,247 signatures, and a fundraising page has received £735.

Now Charlie Evans, Conservative candidate for Dwyfor Meirionnydd in the Senedd election, will host an online public meeting this Thursday to discuss issues in Abersoch and Aberdaron – including the potential school closure.

Margot Jones, chair of governors at Ysgol Abersoch, said: “We would like to make it clear that the campaign to keep Ysgol Abersoch open is not aligned with any particular political party. However, we are very pleased that our dearly loved school is receiving great support, and attracting the attention of the wider community in ways which we hope will continue to raise awareness of this very important issue.”

She added: “Schools play a vital role in the Welsh Government’s strategy for one million Welsh speakers by 2050, and none more so than Ysgol Abersoch, located in the heart of the village, actively promoting the use of the Welsh language in the community, whilst celebrating Welsh culture and heritage in a tourist hotspot.”

Charlie Evans said: “I am very concerned about the proposed school closure of Ysgol Abersoch.

My plan for Dwyfor Meirionnydd is to see new opportunities created within the constituency. I want to see people grow their families here. I want to see local communities thrive. Schools are at the centre of that strategy.

“Gwynedd Council highlights the costs per head to run the school versus the average cost. That however ignores the fact that town schools will always be less costly to run per pupil. If that is their basis for their decisions, then we are just going to see more rural schools close. This is not fair.

The meeting will be held on Zoom at 7pm this Thursday, 28 February.

For more information, visit charlieevans.wales/events/abersoch.

A Gwynedd Council Spokesperson said: “We have held discussions with the governing body and other relevant stakeholders at Ysgol Abersoch over the last two years. We would like to thank them for their input and passionate commitment to trying to find possible solutions to the challenge of critically low number of pupils at the school.

“Having thoroughly evaluated all the options, and given that the pupil projection numbers for the school will remain low, a decision has been made to carry out a statutory consultation on a proposal to close Ysgol Abersoch from 31 August and offer a place for pupils at Ysgol Sarn Bach from 1 September, in accordance with the requirements of Section 48 of the School Standards and Organisation Act 2013.

“The statutory consultation period will run until 23 February 2021.

“At the end of the process, all comments received will be considered before submitting a further report to the council’s Cabinet which will report on the responses received and decide whether or not to proceed with the proposal.

“The consultation documents, and other background papers, are available on the council’s website www.gwynedd.llyw.cymru/modernisingeducation”