A PETITION calling on Pembrokeshire County Council to keep open Manorbier school will be debated at a future council meeting after gaining more than 1,000 signatures to date.

Manorbier Church in Wales VC School and its adjoining schoolhouse was severely damaged by a fire on October 11, 2022, which broke out in the school roof space.

A ‘school from school’ has been set up in Jameston Village Hall.

An e-petition on behalf of the school, on the county council’s own website, has been set up by Rebecca Williams, which has gained 1,094 signatures to date.

If a petition gets 500 signatures, the creator will have an opportunity to debate it at a future full council meeting.

Any petition of more than 100 signatures triggers a debate at one of the council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committees.

The petition, which says closure of the school will have a “detrimental impact” on the wellbeing of children, their families and the wider community states states that the school has been open since 1873.

“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.”

The petition urges the 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.”