 The school closed its gates to pupils last summer |
Villagers at Hermon in Pembrokeshire are celebrating an assembly government grant to enable them to buy the site of the school they fought to keep open. The group lost their battle to save Ysgol Hermon last year, but decided to try and raise the money to buy it as a community centre.
The community of around 400 homes, raised �64,250 which has been topped up with a �180,000 grant.
Co-ordinator Cris Tomos described it as "excellent news".
 |  The key will be to ensure the sustainability of the site |
The assembly government grant has come via the Communities Facilities Activities Fund.
"This is excellent news for the community since we can now move ahead with the purchase and clear the local authority's asking price," Mr Tomos said.
"The remaining funding will be used to upgrade the facility and offer meeting and office accommodation for existing and new community groups and social enterprises in the area.
"We have already had several enquiries about renting office space and the key will be to ensure the sustainability of the site."
Mr Tomos added shareholders would receive preferential rates when using the centre.
Hermon School closed last summer despite a High Court battle to keep it open, with pupils transferring to the primary school at Crymych instead.
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