There has been a long-running campaign to keep the school open

The parents plan to apply for legal aid to appeal against the decision to close Hermon Community Primary School.

Pembrokeshire council made the decision to shut the 53 pupil school last September.

Parents campaigned to reverse the move, arguing it could spell the end for rural schools in the county.

Despite losing a High Court appeal in Cardiff in July, the parents have vowed to fight on and hope to find a way to run the school independently.

At an open-air meeting held on Saturday night parents decided to apply for legal aid to fight the decision.

Parents' leaders were also asked to investigate ways of setting up a co-operative school.

We decided that we would try for legal aid to see if we could appeal against the court case Anna Wilshaw, parent

And a national fighting fund was launched to help all small schools in Wales facing closure.

Hermon school is due to close next month.

Anna Wilshaw, who has a son at the school explained: "We decided that we would try for legal aid to see if we could appeal against the court case.

"But we also decided that we needed to set up some funds of our own and maybe even set up the school as a co-operative run school by the parents and villagers of the surrounding villages.

"What we want to do is set up a small Welsh school fund - people could donate �1 a week and it would be a sort of lottery thing where you would have a monthly draw and the first prize would be �2,000.

"The money would go to raise funds which would go to employ a full time individual to take up the challenge of assisting small schools in Wales which also need to survive."

She said that their campaign has received backing from the local community.

"The public support has been absolutely tremendous - I've got a sticker in my car and when I'm shopping people willl come up to me and say 'oh how terrible about Hermon school'," she said.

At the July High Court hearing, the judge Mr Justice Jack said he admired the parents' fight, but that it was not up to the court to decide policy.

He said that was up to the government, and said Pembrokeshire council had been fair in its dealings with Hermon school

Long campaign

The council also wants to close schools at Blaenffos and Crymych and build a "campus for lifelong learning" on the old Crymych site.

Parents at the other two schools are reported to be in favour of this plan.

In April, campaigners won permission to mount their legal challenge, and they secured legal aid to cover the costs.

In June, the Welsh Assembly Government lost an appeal to prevent the judicial review, arguing that the parents' challenge should have been brought earlier.

Barrister Nicholas Bowen, representing the parents, had argued that the decision to close the school was unlawful and there was "no rational justification" for it.

A spokesman for the parents Cris Tomos said they hoped to apply for voluntary-aided status and to team up with a group in Cumbria in a similar situation.

He said his could let them run the school independently but with the help of local authority funding.