A FORMER primary school put up for auction by Wrexham Council has been saved from demolition and bought for community use. 

Ysgol Pontfadog, in the Ceiriog Valley, was built in 1908 and closed in July 2019 because of low pupil numbers. It has remained empty ever since. 

Former pupils of the school and people living locally have been campaigning to save it from demolition and retain its use in the community.

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And the community group has now successfully bid to buy the premises.

Kirsty Williams, a local businesswoman, who bid on behalf of the group, said that she was "stunned but incredibly happy" that their bid was successful. 

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Kirsty and her co-buyers, Edith Jones and Alma Pierson - both former pupils at the school - together with Ceiriog resident Isabelle Waine, said they are "delighted" that they have managed to save the school for the local community.

“We’ve had so much local support and offers of help to get the school back into shape,” Kirsty said.

“Our first job is to make the school building safe, as it’s suffered some neglect from four years of being closed. But once that’s done, we can look forward to seeing how the site will be used for the community."

Alma Pierson said: "I have strong memories of the school from when I attended, and my son was one of the last group of pupils there before the school closed. 

"When we heard about the successful auction bid, I thought it would be a good idea to set up a Facebook page showing our progress and where former pupils could share memories and perhaps memorabilia. We’ve set up a Facebook page - 'Pontfadog School - The Next Chapter' to keep people informed on the progress."