TV actor backs Onibury Primary School appeal
Monday 14th February 2011, 8:04PM GMT.
Only Fools and Horses star John Challis has thrown his weight behind the campaign to save a south Shropshire village school from closure.
Mr Challis, who played Boycie in the long-running comedy, has claimed plans to close Onny Primary School in Onibury, near Craven Arms, would have a “very detrimental” impact on the local community.
Onibury Primary School – at risk
He plans to meet with parents and supporters of the school outside Ludlow Castle on Wednesday in a peaceful demonstration to raise awareness of the school’s plight.
And campaigners have wasted no time in taking advantage of Mr Challis’s support – by drawing up a banner claiming “Only Fools Would Close Our School”.
Under the plans put forward by Shropshire Council, the school would be one of eight primaries across the county to close in the summer of 2012.
The plans will be discussed by the authority’s cabinet tomorrow and a coach from Onny School will be travelling to Shirehall to join protests outside.
Mr Challis, who in recent years joined a campaign to save Shobdon School in Herefordshire from closure, said: “It’s a village school and therefore much more part of the community than a town school would be.
“It is similar to the post office issue – if you keep destroying these country communities it’s going to be very detrimental for this part of the world.”
Lindsay Beavon, whose five-year-old grand-daughter Amber Langston attends the school, said: “We will be joining Mr Challis in the town centre with placards.”
The campaigners and Mr Challis, who lives in Wigmore, near Ludlow, will meet at noon on Wednesday.
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..and the relevance of this allegiance is what? I bet the bosses at Shropshire education are quaking in their boots!
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Will Mr Challis fork out the £70,244 it costs the other pupils of Shropshire schools to keep Onny school open? No, I thought not.
Can I come to the meeting? No, I thought not.
Does Mr Challis know how few pupils actually come from the village? No, I thought not.
Only fools and actors, then?
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Well done Mr Challis as you pay your taxes and council tax like the rest its good to see someone in the limelight put there name to this as you are more well known than those who have a dig but i am sure you are for the right of village life as this is england and our future is getting diluted by the stack em tall send them thick brigade,without a education there will be loads of fools but no horses
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This post by red ed is the best possible indicator of why schools should not be closed down.
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irony is everywhere???????
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Onny primary see 73% of children come from out side of the catchment area. How is that a negative point for Onny primary? Those people have made a choice to go there over that of their nearest most convenient school.
Whilst it is true that a saving of around £70`000 would be saved by closing Onny. They ( the council) are expecting to have to pay out around 29 grand in transporting children to other schools plus 3 grand in other costs. The potential saving is around £36`000.However, the council have also stated that should an extra teacher be needed to be able to cope with an influx of new children at the designated school they would do so. A teachers salary at around £30`000 pa. So all the loss and devastation to a community for what? £6000? My school was closed when i was younger. It is not something that these pupils will just get used to. These decisions have devastating consequenses.
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So good that a local celebrity is showing his support!
Onny onny onny….Oi oi oi!!
We wont go down without a fight!
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But I bet you will go down..
It’s a done deal under the ConDems.
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