THE 17 members of the Cumbria Schools Organisation Committee who will decide the fate of Lowick School have been invited to meet the pupils face-to-face, writes Zoe Casson.

Campaigners want the members to see what a valuable community asset they would be getting rid of if they vote in favour of Cumbria County Council's proposal to close the school.

Every member has been sent a personal invitation to visit the 21-pupil school one afternoon next week before they meet in Kendal to make a final decision on Monday, January 27.

The invitation has also been extended to the members of Cumbria County Council's cabinet.

Head of the governors at the school Rose Buglar said: "We have done it as only two or three people who will decide the future of the school have actually visited us. We want people to see what we would be losing if they decide to close us. We will just have to wait and see if they turn up."

Campaigners who launched their fight to keep the close-knit school open when CCC proposed closure of Lowick to reduce the number of surplus places in the county last January are still taking moves to try to halt the process.

Mrs Buglar, with the backing of Community Action Network - an organisation set up to help groups in the public and private sector with projects aimed at regeneration - has written to the Rural Affairs Minister, Alun Michael, to seek his help.

She is hoping that he will write to the school's organisation committee in time to urge its members to stop the process until they have been supplied with more information.

"I hope it works as how can the committee make an informed decision when they have not got all the information. Some of the information supplied by the county council is not even correct.

"I just hope that if we cannot get the decision halted that the members will do a good job for us, but we don't hold out much hope."

A parent at the school who has been actively involved in the campaign to keep it open, Clare Lavender, said: "I think the members of the school's organisation committee have already decided how they are going to vote.

"I feel that the whole process regarding the closure of the school was also pre-decided and that the school has spent the last year campaigning for no reason. No matter what good we do for the school no-one seems to be listening to us and it seems so unfair."

January 17, 2003 10:00