A GROUP has highlighted plans to put life back into a village in the Ceiriog Valley which “had its heart ripped out” when its school was closed down last year.

Ysgol Pontfadog, in the village of Pontfadog, closed its doors for the last time last year, and the building has since been left unused.

A consultation process took place to determine what should happen with the site, but no decision has been made yet by Wrexham County Borough Council (WCBC).

Kirsty Williams is part of a group which set up the Pontfadog Forest School and Community Hub Committee which has put together a business plan to create a new hub at the centre of the village in place of the school.

The group hopes to attain permission for their plans to use the site as the home for a forest school, daycare for elderly people, hot desk space, allotments and a local marketing hub in a bid to provide the community with multiple services.

Kirsty also believes this would be a great way to create jobs in the area.

She said: “We feel the forest school would be very lucrative because anything to do with childcare would get government support.

“Parents will be looking to make a decision on which form of childcare they would like to have for their children.

“That is only going to go in one direction, which is more help for parents in this area who are looking to get back to work.

“It would also create jobs and young people in the village are keen to run the forest school, café and community hub.”

She also believes the plans fit in well with the way in which life is set to be following the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Especially now we’ve had Covid, everything we have proposed ties in with healthy living and children being outside and keeping places Covid-free,” she added.

“It is vitally important to keep this building and area as something which is for the community.

“We’re not opposed to new houses being built in the valley, but this space would be better used for the community.

“There’s such a need for things we have outlined in our business plan.”

Kirsty says it is vital the site is used to provide a service for the people of Pontfadog.

She added: “The village is lacking in the things we are offering.

“It has had the heart ripped out of it when the school was closed.

A spokesman for WCBC said: “We are currently looking at options for this site which is no longer used for educational purposes.”