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THE pupils lead the way as 1,000 protesters head off for the march to save St George’s
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You can't ignore us now!
Kathryn Ryan28/ 2/2008
PENSIONERS and toddlers, pupils and teachers marched together united in their fight to save St George’s High School from closing.
More than a 1,000 protesters brandishing St George’s flags marched and chanted their way through the streets of Walkden on Sunday, February 24.
They were led by the justice4georges pupils - Lizzie Finch, Hannah McCarthy, Heather Ennis and Becky Traynor - who organised the protest, headteacher Philip Harte, deputy headteacher Pete Fisher and former pupil and top actress Catherine Tyldesley.
Lizzie Finch said: "I was quite overwhelmed by the support of St. George’s families - we could not have asked for a better demonstration.
"Thanks you to everybody who turned out to express their support for the school."
Hannah McCarthy said: "It was just amazing when we looked back from our position at the front of the march and saw how many people had turned out to support us. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."
Heather Ennis said: "What a day! This was the best response possible to the Council. What is the point of closing good, popular schools like ours when the public clearly want it to stay open? Thanks everybody!"
Becky Traynor said: "It is a good job we had megaphones because there must have been a 1000 people behind us every step of the way. It was so nice to see people come out of their houses to support us by cheering and clapping."
The council had planned to shut the school down completely but two weeks ago they announced new proposals to amalgamate the Parsonage Drive school with St Ambrose Barlow on a site in Wardley - despite that site being rejected last year for the rebuild of Walkden High School.
However, anything short of St George’s being rebuilt or refurbished on it’s current site was unthinkable to the marchers who chanted ‘Vote them out’ and ‘Save St George’s’. Dominic Smith, 14, from Walkden and a pupil at the school, said: "I want to save the school - there’s good teachers and I’ve had a great time here.
"The council are being a bit stupid closing a good school."
Lindsay Smith, 38, from Little Hulton, said: "I went to St George’s and it is the best school in the area, everyone is fighting to get in there whether they’re Catholic or not. Now they are closing it down - how do they explain it?"
Kathleen Jean, 65, from Walkden, said: "All our children have been to that school and our grandchildren go there now.
"To close it down - I don’t see any reason to it."
Julie Power, who has two children at the school, said: "They are taking education away from my daughters - they’ve got a right to the education we chose for them.
"My daughters don’t want to travel from Little Hulton to Wardley, St George’s now is five minutes from where we live."
Father Kieren Mullarkey, governor at the school, joined the march following mass.
He said: "There’s no sense in the closure of St George’s.
"They’ve not listened to the local people because the reasons they’ve given for closing St George’s has been refuted by governors, parents and teachers and yet they insist they know best."
Councillor Norman Owen, Lib Dem leader, said: "It’s an excellent turnout - it’s a pity there’s not more Labour support.
"The council should wake up, stop going round in circles and start being more positive."
Ward Tory councillor Iain Lindley said: "It's a real show of support from the community for the school.
"We need to listen to what residents think on the new merger plans but we've always been against the schools closing."
When the marchers arrived at the school they packed into the school hall to join in a protest song before speeches by justice4georges, Catherine Tyldesley, Mr Fisher and Mr Harte.
Catherine, who has been in Holby City, Coronation Street and Drop Dead Gorgeous, said: "I was not shocked at the amount of people who turned out because I already knew how much the school was loved.
"It's overwhelming and incredible, it's an integral part of the community and can't close."
Mr Harte said: "It exceeded my wildest imagination - it's been absolutely superb.
"We were here today because some youngsters from the school felt they had not been listened to.
"Salford have now heard our voice, they've heard our voice of protest now let them listen to our words, that's all I'm asking them to do."
Click on the video window for Channel M's report ...
Most recent 2 of 26 user comments
Keep on going Trisha and Jeremy Kyle babble babble nonsense nonsense
18/03/2008 at 22:46
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I'd also like to assert right now that we should definitely attribute the comments posted under the name 'Jean Warmo' to Councillor John Warmisham - unless Warmisham makes a specific public denial that he is not Jean Warmo. I think it's important that we nail this hiding behind a veil of anonymity issue, because we're talking about a cabinet councillor thinking it's acceptable to mock specific named individuals (like Mr. Gauld elsewhere on this site) as well as decry and dismiss the popular demand for democratic participation in what is a very important local issue - that of the future of our children's education. We need to nail the fact that a senior Labour Cabinet figure is telling us all that he views our serious and legitimate concerns as worthless "babble." [If I am wrong to attribute Jean Warmo's comments to John Warmisham I will apologise on this website but I am convinced that Warmo and Warmisham are one and the same!]
19/03/2008 at 13:49