SAVE OUR SCHOOL.

It was an old building of weathered stone. A huge tree shaded the playground. For one hundred years it had seen children pass through its doors. Children of every shape and size dressed in the fashions of the times they lived in. It had sheltered and nurtured them all. Each child had happy memories that had lasted a lifetime of teachers who had been respected and loved. It was the village school and now it was scheduled to close at the end of the current school year.

Robert Hunt read the article announcing the forthcoming closure in the local paper. He couldn't believe what he was reading no matter how many times he read it. He picked up the phone and rang the vicar. "Michael" he asked "have you seen the local paper, the article about the school?"
"Yes, I have" replied Michael West. "I was going to phone you. The problem is that there are not enough children in this village to justify keeping the school open. The few children that are left will be bussed to school in the town. What can we do about it? We've got a year to come up with a solution."
"We've got to think of something" replied Robert.

Robert picked up his coat and went for a walk. He always thought better when he was walking. The school's closure would hit several families in the village. His own daughter, Sally, was due to start school in a year's time. He needed ideas and he needed them fast. In these circumstances a year was not a long time.

It was such a pretty village set in lovely countryside. A few years ago it had everything. Now, little by little, shops were closing and people were moving away. The school was just one more battle to be fought. They had fought to keep the village post office and general store open. That was safe for the time being, but for how long? They had fought to keep the bus route that linked them to the town. They'd had to compromise by accepting fewer buses on that route. Robert smiled to himself. Michael and he had always been at the forefront of every battle. If the truth were told they enjoyed them! They were not the only ones, others in the village felt as they did. It was time to start a new fight. His walk took him down to the river. For a while he walked along the towpath watching the swans and ducks. It was a lovely day, not the sort of weather to mull over bad news. Come on, Robert, he said to himself, think!

A little further on he came upon a group of old cottages. They had once belonged to farm workers. When the need for these had diminished with the advent of modern farm machinery, the workers had moved away. The houses were derelict but as they had been solidly built most of them were still standing, albeit in need of much modernisation and repair. Robert stood, deep in thought, and looked at the houses. He went back to his office. Maureen, his secretary, greeted him by handing him a list of calls. "I'll deal with these later" he said,"but now I need a big pad of paper and a cup of tea if there is one."

He covered sheets of paper with drawings and columns of figures. Maureen came and looked over his shoulder. "What are you doing?" she asked.
"The village school is due to close in a year" said Robert, "we've got to do something to save it. There is a group of old houses not far from the river. Suppose we could buy them and renovate them. Young families living in the tower blocks in town might be interested in renting them if we keep the rents reasonable. It would give them a pleasant environment to live in, it would increase the village population and there would be more children for the school. After all, I am a builder!

In the months that followed permissions were obtained, bank loans negotiated and workers on some of Robert's sites volunteered to do overtime to work on the cottages. Villagers joined in, showing surprising skills.

Michael contacted the vicar of the parish which covered the highrise blocks in town. A dozen families with young children who wanted to move to the country applied for the cottages.

Before the year was over the cottages were ready. Each had a pretty garden to which Robert had added a swing set. Within easy walking distance of the village they were a picture. The dozen families moved in to their new homes.

The village came to life again, and when the new school year started, Sally Hunt, clutching her proud father's hand, took her place in the village school they had all helped to save.

The End.

Copyright Jacqueline Hastings 2009