HUNDREDS of concerned parents, friends and well-wishers joined a special march through Cinderford in pouring rain on Saturday to protest at the proposed closure of two Forest special needs schools.

The marchers, who gathered at the Park in Lower High Street, were joined by Forest of Dean MP Diana Organ, and the procession then wound its way up through the town to the Rugby Club.

Both schools are threatened with closure under Shire Hall proposals to absorb special needs children into mainstream schooling, although a facility is to be further developed at Dean Hall for children needing special attention.

The move has been vociferously objected to by not only large numbers of parents of special needs children but also teachers who fear the resources an help given to the children at Dean Hall and Oakdene cannot be maintained in mainstream schools.

Following the march organiser Alan Bowkett said: "After the fantastic support from the people of the Forest of Dean and beyond to keep Oakdene and Dean Hall special schools open the overwhelming opinion was to keep the schools.

"Shire hall think we are in a minority but to everyone who watched it was very obvious we are a majority."

Mrs Organ told the Review that while she applauded the extra money proposed for mainstream schools, a skills centre at Cinderford and the investment of £2-3 million in new facilities at Dean Hall, she believed Shire Hall had got the numbers wrong.

"It is quite clear that the figure of 50 places is not enough when there are some 25-30 pupils at Oakdene and 70 at Dean Hall," she said. "As it is the original figure was set at 75 and now it has been reduced to 50, arbitrarily I feel."

She said the numbers just did not add up and she would be meeting Peter Clarke and his colleagues at Shire Hall on Monday and on November 18 she had a meeting with Jo Davidson of the county council School Organisation Committee where she would "make her position clear" on the issue.

"I also applaud everyone who turned out in the rain on Saturday to show their feelings. It really was an awful day," said Mrs Organ.

Protesters are now urging anyone who supports them to write to Steve Huggett or Jo Davidson at Shire Hall, Gloucester, before next Tuesday's deadline for objections to the proposals.