A CLOSURE-THREATENED Pembrokeshire school, which has now been saved, should “never have been considered for closure,” a local councillor who battled to keep it open has said.

Kilgetty’s Stepaside CP School was being earmarked for closure by Pembrokeshire County Council, as part of proposals to establish a new 3-11 primary school on the Saundersfoot School site, discontinuing both Saundersfoot school and Stepaside school.

The Stepaside proposal was based on surplus places for all the schools in the proposals, with Stepaside having a surplus capacity of over 50 per cent, councillors had previously heard; figures that have since been much debated.

In March, a vote at a full meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council reaffirmed a decision of last December, that the Director for Education be authorised to commence statutory consultation to discontinue Stepaside and Saundersfoot and establish the new three-11 primary school.

Since then, Pembrokeshire’s deputy leader Cllr Paul Miller, who has recently taken on Cabinet member responsibility for education, made a call for the school to instead remain open, rescinding the previous decision to discontinue Saundersfoot and Stepaside schools, which was unanimously backed at the July 16 meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council.

Local county councillors Alistair Cameron and Alec Cormack, who had both battled for the school to remain open, said they are delighted at the decision to rescind the previous backing of a public consultation on closing Stepaside School and merging it with Saundersfoot School on the existing Saundersfoot School Site.

Cllr Alistair Cameron said: “Stepaside School should never have been considered for closure. The number of pupils at the school have been stable since 2022 at between at between 110 and 115. We are looking at another good intake of pupils in September which shows just how popular this school is.

“This has been confirmed by the school inspectors, Estyn, who described it as a ‘Happy place where pupils feel safe and eager to learn’ and ‘a welcoming, calm and purposeful learning environment,’ where ‘pupils make good progress with their learning’.

“Thank you to Mr Jones, headteacher at Stepaside School, and all of his colleagues for their continued dedication and hard work for the children in their care.

“Thank you also to the Chair of Governors, Laura Burnett and all of the governors for their leadership as well as the parents and wider Kilgetty community for their support. The school staff can now concentrate on what they do best, which is to provide excellent education in a caring and nurturing environment.”

Cllr Alec Cormack welcomed the Cabinet decision saying adding “I am very pleased that the decision taken in council was unanimous.”

Speaking after the decision, Laura Burnett said: “The Governing Body of Stepaside Community Primary School are delighted to share the exciting news that the school will remain open for many years to come.

“This is a tremendous achievement for the community that is served by the school in Kilgetty.”

Motorists are being advised to allow extra time as essential gas network upgrades begin on Bush Road

TEMPORARY traffic lights will be introduced in Pembroke while engineers carry out work to upgrade underground gas pipes.

Wales & West Utilities will begin work in the Bush Hill area on Monday, July 20, with the scheme expected to continue until Friday, August 21.

Temporary traffic lights will operate on Bush Road between the junctions with Buttermilk Lane and Whitehall Avenue. The lights will be manually controlled to help keep traffic moving and reduce congestion.

The utility company said the work had been agreed with Pembrokeshire County Council and scheduled during the school holidays to minimise disruption.

Motorists are being advised to allow additional time for their journeys while the restrictions are in place.

Adam Smith, who is managing the project for Wales & West Utilities, said: “We have planned this section of work to coincide with the school holidays to minimise disruption to motorists and the local community.

“We understand our work can cause disruption, but it is essential to maintain a resilient gas network that households and businesses can rely on every day.

“While much of the gas network is out of sight, it plays a vital role in daily life, from heating homes to cooking meals, and we know how important it is that gas is there when people need it.”

Wales & West Utilities transports gas to more than 7.5 million people across Wales and the south west of England through a network of more than 35,000 kilometres of underground pipes.

Anyone who smells gas or suspects carbon monoxide should call the National Gas Emergency Service immediately on 0800 111 999.

Funding will help volunteers purchase distinctive uniforms for patrols at Tenby South Beach

TENBY Freemasons have donated £750 to Tenby Surf Lifesaving Club to support its volunteer beach patrols and lifesaving work.

Members of Tenby Lodge presented the donation to the club, also known as Surflink, following a training session last week.

The club is introducing volunteer lifesaving patrols at Tenby South Beach on busy days when lifeguards are not on duty, helping to complement the work of the RNLI.

Volunteers require distinctive patrol uniforms so they can be easily recognised by members of the public on the beach.

Senior lodge member Tony Upham put forward a proposal to Tenby Lodge’s committee, which quickly agreed to provide the money needed to purchase the uniforms.

Surf club leader Tai Jackson said: “Lifeguard services have reduced in recent times, so we were keen to offer our skills.

“We are grateful once again for the assistance from the Freemasons in purchasing the essential kit required.”

Tenby Lodge charity steward Steve Thurgood said: “We are committed to supporting local good causes, so we are delighted to make these funds available to Surflink.

“The club provides an excellent voluntary service to the community, particularly to young people.”

Tenby Surf Lifesaving Club has taught the multi-disciplined sport of lifesaving since 1993, educating participants aged eight and above in surf safety, open-water skills and swimming confidence.

Weekly summer training sessions are held at the club’s facility at South Beach Car Park in Tenby. During the winter, the club runs weekly pool sessions at Tenby Leisure Centre, helping members develop the core swimming skills needed for beach training.

Through its links with the RNLI, the club also provides training and assessments for those hoping to become beach lifeguards, first aiders or sports coaches.

Its volunteers provide lifesaving cover for a number of major local events, including Ironman Wales, Long Course Weekend, the Saundersfoot New Year’s Day Swim and Tenby North Beach Boxing Day Swim.

The club’s stated aim is to save lives and prevent drowning through surf lifesaving education and training within the local community.

Anyone interested in joining Tenby Surf Lifesaving Club can email [email protected].

Pictured: Tenby Lodge Master Damian Brown presents the £750 donation to Tai Jackson. Also pictured at the rear are Steve Thurgood, left, and Tony Upham, right, with young members of Tenby Surf Lifesaving Club.