Two mothers of pupils at Whitchurch Primary School are organising a 'Family and Community Rally' which is to take place on Wednesday, February 13th, in Hereford city centre. Jane Ward and Eugene Gooch have formed a small group Herefordshire Against Closing Schools (HACS) and they are calling for people from all over the County to meet at a central location and then walk through the city in a display of unity and solidarity. The start point for the Rally is the Merton Meadow car park, behind Hereford Football ground, with Rally-goers meeting at 10:00am, to be ready to commence the march at 11:00am. This will proceed passed the Blackfriars office of the Directorate of Children's Services – those responsible for the much-maligned proposals. It will then take a route of approximately 45 minutes through the centre of Hereford, before returning to Merton Meadow for closing speeches. The rally will be the opportunity for Herefordshire people to show how they feel about the proposals to close and amalgamate 35 primary schools in the county by September 2009. The rally's aim is to give a clear and unambiguous signal to the LEA, and to the Herefordshire Local Authority as a whole, that they exist in a democracy to serve the people, not to dictate to them. Jane told The Ross Gazette:?"HACS is for the people of the whole county, as every community needs to be able to voice their disagreement with the proposed actions. While the initial proposals have been recalled, the main issues have only been delayed. The community must still stand against the draconian closure of schools in the county and demand that consultation ensues to result in a proposal whose primary consideration is the care of our children and our communities. "A school is at the heart of a community, so if the school goes, the heart is ripped out. With no school, young families will not move into the area, no new generation will be formed and the community will wither and die." HACS accepts that a review of the provision of education in Herefordshire needs to be undertaken, but is strongly opposed to both the extent of the proposals and the manner in which they were constructed and presented. They are seeking a commitment from the LEA that when constructing the new proposals they shall directly engage, consult and work with all interested parties and agencies. It should have at its centre, the educational and emotional needs of current and future children in the county as well as the impact on the rural community, both in the short and long term. Jane added: "The need for the Rally is as urgent now as it was at the start of this process. To achieve maximum impact, we need to ensure that the Rally is supported by a massive turnout. HACS will continue to fight for as long as it takes to ensure that the Council and the LEA realise that it's the children and the community that matter, not the bottom line on a balance sheet." For further information contact Jane Ward or Eugene Gooch on: [email protected]">[email protected]