CAMPAIGNERS battling to save Wales’ oldest university are planning to stage a march and demonstration.

Former and current students at Lampeter are hoping local residents will join them in the protest next Friday (20 December) morning.

One of the organisers, Ieuan Davies, of the Lampeter Society, which connects thousands of alumni, said the aim was to raise awareness of the plight of the Lampeter campus, where a university was established in 1822.

He said it was also intended to show support for current students whose education was being affected by the plans by UWTSD (University of Wales Trinity St David) to relocate humanities courses to its Carmarthen campus from next September.

“The rally and parking point is at Lampeter Rugby Club at 10.30am, we will march on the college from there,” he said.

“We realise that the protest is on a weekday and near to Christmas but this is the last day that the students will be there before the Christmas break.”

Ieuan, who studied at Lampeter in the 1980s and now lives near Tregaron, urged local people, students and former students to take the opportunity to support the cause and ‘show the mandarins at UWTSD just how mad you are with their plans!”

He said the university at Lampeter was Wales' oldest higher education institution but, in 2009, it was merged with Trinity College Carmarthen, later joining with Swansea Metropolitan University, to form UWTSD.

He said the proposed relocation of the humanities faculty would mean the end of 200 years of higher education in Lampeter.

“It will have a devastating economic and cultural impact on the local community,” he claimed.

The Society has launched a petition against the proposals which requires 10,000 signatures to force a debate on the issue in the Senedd.

The petition, which calls on the university and Welsh Government to create a ‘viable, sustainable plan for the long-term future of the Lampeter campus, can be found at https://petitions.senedd.wales/petitions/246410.