HUNDREDS of Lampeter residents have joined thousands of former and current students in backing a growing campaign to save Wales’ oldest university.

Established in 1822, the university at Lampeter is Wales' oldest higher education institution. In 2009, University of Wales, Lampeter, was merged with Trinity College Carmarthen, later joining with Swansea Metropolitan University, to form UWTSD.

The Vice Chancellor of UWTSD recently announced a process that would lead to the cessation of all undergraduate teaching at Lampeter and the relocation of the Humanities faculty from the Lampeter campus to Carmarthen.

The Lampeter Society, which connects alumni from the university, has launched a petition against these proposals and said: “The Lampeter campus has seen a significant withdrawal of infrastructure investment, courses and marketing commitment with a corresponding increase in expansion and investment to the Swansea campus.

“Inevitably, this prioritisation against Lampeter has led to a marked decline in student numbers on the Lampeter campus.

“Furthermore, the proposals will have a devastating effect on the local community and opportunities and employment in the area.”

The petition calls on the university and Welsh Government to create a ‘viable, sustainable plan for the long-term future of the Lampeter campus.’

Over 2,000 people have now signed the online petition, but organisers, who need 10,000 signatures to secure a debate on the proposals in the Senedd, have now taken to the streets, pubs and shops in the Lampeter area to seek support from local residents.

Esther Weller, who studied Welsh and Religious Studies at Lampeter between 1995 and 1999 and is leading the campaign, says she has met with a huge amount of support from townspeople and the local community when she is out collecting signatures for the petition.

Esther said one person told her that the university was so central to Lampeter that it was ‘the making of it,’ and cutting undergraduate students would ‘deaden’ the town.

Another campaigner, former student Jane Langford, who still lives near Lampeter, said: “Local people are all very aware how bad this would be for the town.''

Esther said she herself had been ‘devastated’ when she first heard of the proposals.

“The campus at Lampeter has always fostered an environment of acceptance and inclusivity," she said.

“It gave me the confidence to be myself and I have carried that with me through life. Local campuses and universities are so important for widening provision and access to higher education.”

She urged anyone who supports the campaign to sign the petition.

UWTSD said: “We now have a total cohort of 197 full-time students, 92 of which are undergraduates, being taught on campus in Lampeter, with 112 core staff and a number of casual staff associated with the Lampeter campus. This is not a sustainable situation.

“Operationally, the Lampeter campus costs us about £2.7M per year to run and the backlog maintenance and compliance costs for the campus are estimated at £33.5m.

“The university is, however, committed to retaining the main Lampeter campus estate and finding alternative ways of delivering education-related activities.”