IT WAS with sadness that I learnt from the property pages of the County Times that Llangynyw Old School is up for sale.

Since it was purchased by local community fundraising decades ago, the Old School has played a very important part in our community life; wonderful events have been held there which have brought people together from near and far– it is a special place, it is irreplaceable.

At a bombshell public meeting last year, Llangynyw Church announced that after trying its best for years it was no longer able to financially support the running costs and endless repairs for the church, Old School and School House and with great regret it had decided to sell up and concentrate its efforts on securing the church.

It is a very great shame that it has come to this. Even though the Old School is currently in good repair, it may now be sold to someone from afar who converts it into a nice home – but what will they know of what this place means to us?

Maybe a lesson for other communities is to encourage institutions that own property, whoever they may be, to share the challenges they face in looking after old buildings long before a crisis hits.

Many people have talents to share and new ideas (for organising fund raisers, writing grant proposals, helping with maintenance and promotion of a property).

Community councils can help too. People need to work together. The church is now pressing ahead with its plans to transform the building into a more modern space with toilets and a kitchen and fewer pews, that can also be used for small community events.

I wish the church well, we all need to support them in this bold venture, no doubt the modernised church will be fabulous -but it can never replace what we as a community are now faced with losing.

Time is running out now, but maybe there is still a chance that someone locally can save our precious Old School from being converted or redeveloped.

It would be wonderful to hear the sound of children playing there again or settling in to enjoy bingos or whist drives or Easter tea parties with the rest of the community.

The Old School has been at the heart of our community. Once it is gone it is gone forever.

Jane Vaughan

Llangynyw