The former Tasker Milward School in Haverfordwest is up for sale, but how do local people wish to see the site best used? Former pupil Tom Rees wants to know and has a proposal of his own.

Tom Rees, Managing Director of WPIAS Ltd, is the person behind a scheme to keep the use of the Upper School site for educational purposes. He is driven to bring knowledge and opportunity to all those living in and around Haverfordwest as well as the wider surrounding area.

“There is a strong chance the site of the former Tasker Milward upper school will be levelled. I want to battle with the big boys and prevent this from happening.”

Tom believes his old school holds tremendous opportunity to help train and retrain those within the community.

Training in the property and business sectors is not generally accessible for many, especially in Wales, and training people to understand the sectors, is the driving force behind Tom’s determination to keep the Upper School as an educational base.

Tom’s own passion is property, but he doesn’t want the learning to stop there. The scheme would specialise in property and business, but incorporate all areas of education, including the performing arts sector, making use of the already existing Upper School assembly hall.

As much as he appreciates the need for housing, he believes that just building houses is not the only solution to the housing crisis. Training people to understand property and improving skills through education would prove more beneficial.

Tom said: “We certainly have a local requirement for affordable housing, but this should be done sensibly, using logic and with the best interest of the town and its inhabitants in mind. It is my opinion that the site of the Lower School would be more appropriate for housing whilst retaining the site of the Upper School for training purposes and the arts.”

As well as the proposed learning opportunities and the promotion of the arts, the site, with its various blocks and classrooms, potentially could appeal to charities, offering them space to help more people and run more cost effectively. "The potential of the site, to serve the community, is phenomenal."

For such a prominent site in Haverfordwest, Tom wants to hear what locals want from it. Do locals feel, like him, that maintaining the Upper School’s educational purpose would best serve the community? He’s asking for opinions, have local voices heard, and for people to get involved before the inevitable levelling happens. The six-acre site of the Lower School could be used for housing, but this, again, should be done to best meet the needs of the local community.

Already, Tom has received interest from several local charities, so the potential is there. But time is running out. He would love to hear from others who think they could work with him and deliver on his vision, a learning and arts hub that serves Haverfordwest and the county.

A Facebook page, ‘The Tasker Milward Project’ has been launched.