PLANS for a new state secondary school at Ingleton to ‘save a dying community’ are gathering mom-entum.

The proposed 3 Peaks Community Academy could take up to 200 pupils aged 11-16 and would be based at the mothballed Ingleton Middle School site.

Following a series of public meetings, the man behind the ambitious plans said the race was now on for parents to register their children to help them proceed with the application.

Tony Macaulay, of Burnmoor Crescent, said: “We need at least 100 pupils on the register to apply to the Government for free-school status. This school will be of such a benefit to the community. It’s a community that’s dying, in my opinion.

“There really is a lot of poverty and deprivation and this school can help to address that. It’s a really important community issue but it does depend on people grasping the opportunity we’re tying to put in front of them because once it’s gone, it’s gone.”

At meetings at Bentham, Kirkby Lonsdale, Austwick, Wray and Ing-leton Mr Mccauley and his team of seven local campaigners outlined their vision for the Ingleton Middle School site, which is due to close in September.

“With it being a small secondary school, the education can be on an individual basis rather than in large groups. It’s local as well so it would cut out the travelling for parents. We will also be looking at running agricultural courses and adult education to make sure it is a true community school for everybody that meets the needs of people living in the area,” said Mr Macauley.

The group has until February 23 to submit its proposal to the Government and the decision on whether they had been successful would be announced in June. Funding would come from central Government but the 3 Peaks Comm-unity Academy limited company would be free to hire staff and services.

Mr Macauley said: “We don’t see ourselves in competition with Queen Elizabeth School at Kirkby Lonsdale or Settle College but in partnership. We would be a small alternative that would suit some children and not everybody. It would be a certain type of student wanting a certain type of education.”