Cymdeithas yr Iaith have sent an open letter to the governors of Ysgol Carreg Hirfaen Federated School, calling on them not to give in to the pressure from the County Council to close the 2 village sites at Ffarmers and Llanycrwys. The County Council has offered to pay for an extra porta cabin at the Cwmann site and the cost of transporting the children there, on condition that the other 2 sites are closed in January. In their letter to the chair of Governors, Cymdeithas yr Iaith call on the Board not to give in to this blackmail from the County Council.

Cymdeithas yr Iaith Education Group Chair, Ffred Ffransis said" WE have remained silent until now in the hope that the Governors would settle matters internally. But now we must speak out because of the very real danger that these 2 sites will be sacrificed. This would be disastrous for the Welsh speaking village communities of Ffarmers and Llanycrwys, and adversely affect the children's education. The children would have to be carried for miles every day and pressed into temporary buildings in Cwmann, and local community support from parents and others would be weakened.The Governors must stand for what is right. They have done everything possible until now to reach a compromise with the County Council, including accepting that the 2 smaller sites should be joined at one site with significant resultant savings for the school and the Council. But the Council insist that they get their own way and get rid of every small village site. The council is prepared to waste huge amounts of money on transporting small children and on temporary buildings in order to set their own way. The Council is also blackmailing by threatening not to supply a temporary building unless the smaller sites are closed. We sympathise with the Governing Body in their difficult predicament, but the time has come to decide. They must be an example for the children and do the right thing and not give in to blackmail. The Board must refuse to co-operate with the Council - and that for educational and social reasons and in order to do what is morally right."The letter from Cymdeithas yr Iaith adds that it would be extremely irresponsible for the Governors to move to close the 2 sites without looking into all the new possibilities that have arisen from the new draft rules of the Assembly on federating schools. Ysgol Carreg Hirfaen could start discussions with Lampeter Primary and Secondary schools and with other schools with a view to forming a strong federation which would be to everybody's advantage - since the new rules allow federating with secondary schools and with schools accross county borders.Ffred Ffransis added:"It would be completely irresponsible for the Governors to close the village sites without professional research into the other options. The children and the communities deserve at least this much."