Back to normal…….

….whatever that is.

Three weeks ago the bombshell hit us. Our island Primary School was on the list for closure. In a very modern fashion, many of us heard the news via a Facebook page set up by a 14 year old former pupil. Well done, Megan.

Off went the Parents’ Council, other islanders and ex-pupils now attending the High School in Oban to lobby Ed Milliband at the Scottish Labour Party Conference at the Corran Halls. I missed that one because I was in Glasgow.

The following week we were down to the Council offices in Lochgilphead to stage the biggest protest of any of the threatened schools. My first demo! The sheepskin hat was a good idea and also drew attention from the press. I should have worn warmer boots.

We won a delay of the decision and the idiots who had drawn up the initial recommendation, and who seemed to be unaware of the several hundred yards of often raging Atlantic Ocean that separate us from the mainland, and the often rather flimsy nature of the ferries, were sent back to think again.

That evening there was a meeting in the School and I volunteered to manage a website if someone with sufficient expertise would set it up. Rosy, in the middle of moving house, did just that, and acted as my mentor while I found my way around such things as adding hyperlinks, at which I am now a dab hand.

The island community, which had begun to fragment over several issues, immediately pulled together. Working parties were formed and our community of 175  produced people with a surprising breadth of knowledge and skills. Everyone did what they could.

Further meetings, letters to Councillors and lots of website building followed.  Adding videos was the greatest struggle, as most were too long for the site’s framework to accept, but, never one to give up, I posted them to Flickr and added a link. I went down to photograph the ‘wee ferry’ – the small open boat that carries us over the Sound in the evenings – and Louise called me ‘a trooper’.

Yesterday messages began to come through from Councillors and finally we had written confirmation from an official source. At least for this year, and subject to the Council’s ratification on the 25th, we are off the list. With an hour and a half to go before the meeting I got an email from Mhairi, Chair of the Parents’  Council. Could I add the attached ten documents to the site? I did, but I burnt my supper in the process.

We had a mini-celebration – some wine, some scones and pancakes.  Then we got down to business. Next year no doubt we will be under threat again. We have lots of evidence and good arguments against closure already collected, but we need to make better use of the school buildings, make them really intrinsic to the life of the community. Several working groups have been formed……..

To be continued.