Ernie Jones, headteacher, admitted it was a sad day: "It's a bit surreal, we spent the last days packing everything up.

"I'm extremely sad, I've spent 11 years trying to build this school up and then the council comes along and tells us we have to close.

"It's not really sunk in yet, the kids have been very quiet.

"It won't hit them until September, when they go to start the new term at a new school, with a new environment."

Asked what the school's abiding memory will be, everyone seemed to be in agreement that it'd be the food, cooked by Dilys Mills for the past 42 years.

Ernie Jones said: "If Dilys has ever been off work, the kids have missed her food!

"We had supply chefs come in from Llanidloes Primary School, and they asked where the waste disposal bins for unwanted food were – we had to laugh because there was never anything leftover when Dilys cooked!"

Diane Hand taught at the school for 25 years: "Teaching has to be the most rewarding, most satisfying and happiest job you could ever hope to have.

"In 25 years there wasn't a single day I woke up and didn't want to come to work.

"I'll miss the day to day, miss the kids and miss the food!

"I've seen entire generations of families come through the school."

Ffion Williams, nine, said: "I am sad the school is closing, but I am looking forward to going to the new school and making new friends."

The school was opened on March 16, 1874, and continued to serve the community right through until last week's closure.

Mary Davies runs the Post Office in the village, she said it was a sad moment: "It was always nice to hear the kids playing at lunchtime. It's a shame it had to close."

Diane Rees, parent of a pupil who attended the school, criticised the council's 'modernisation' programme, which resulted in the school closures: "I'm gutted. We have to make new arrangements now which is an effort I could have done without.

"I don't think closing small schools like this will provide the council with the pot of gold they're hoping for."

Pupils from the closed school will be sent to neighbouring schools, a situation which some parents aren't satisfied with: "The class sizes will be too big," said Gwen Wigley, mother of five-year-old Gwynfa, "Our kids won't receive the same attention as they did before.
"The communication from the council about new arrangements has been awful.

"Not one person has got in touch with us, and from what we're led to believe, our young children will be sharing a school bus with 16 and 17 year olds. Surely this is wrong?"

A mixture of emotions were on display as the pupils, teachers and parents bid their farewells to the school and to each other; anger at the council, sadness over the parting of ways and trepidation over what the future holds.

The overwhelming feeling though was one of fondness, forged over years of teaching the youth of Llangurig.

No 'modernisation' programme could ever take that away.