The school said the introduction of VAT on school fees and other financial changes meant running the school was no longer viable

A private school in north Wales is set to shut its doors due to “a period of sustained financial pressure”. St Gerard’s School in Bangor has been teaching pupils for more than a century.

However, on Thursday evening, May 21, they sent a letter to parents notifying them the school would close at the end of term.

A statement has been issued on behalf of FRP Advisory and the school. For the biggest stories in Wales first sign up to our daily newsletter here.

The statement said: “St Gerard’s School, the independent school in Bangor, North Wales, is set to close at the end of the current academic year following a period of sustained financial pressure.

“The school, which was founded in 1917 – has faced increasing financial pressure. Recent changes, including the introduction of VAT on school fees, loss of charitable status, rise in national insurance alongside other rising costs and the ongoing challenge of maintaining pupil numbers, mean that the school is unfortunately no longer viable,” reports North Wales Live.

St Gerard’s currently has 107 pupils from reception through to Year 13, and employs 30 staff members. The school has maintained a long-established relationship with military families stationed at nearby RAF Valley.

The statement continued: “The school will continue to operate as normal until the end of term on 3rd July 2026, with all public examinations taking place as scheduled. Trustees and management are working closely with families to support pupils in finding suitable alternative provision for September.

“Regrettably, the majority of staff will be made redundant at the end of term. The school is committed to supporting those affected in finding new roles.”

A spokesperson for St Gerard’s School Trust said: “This has been an incredibly difficult decision, and one we have not taken lightly. St Gerard’s has been part of the Bangor community for well over a century, and the school’s caring ethos and strong values have shaped the lives of generations of pupils.

“Like many independent schools, we have faced sustained financial pressures in recent years. Despite significant efforts to secure the school’s future – including initiatives to strengthen pupil recruitment and exploring options for external investment – it has not been possible to achieve a viable way forward.

“Our focus now is on supporting our pupils and their families through this transition, ensuring examinations proceed as planned, and helping our dedicated staff find new opportunities. We are deeply grateful to everyone who has been part of the St Gerard’s community over the years.”

Mancini, backed by Adam Chetwood on guitar, Marco Ninni on drums and Ben Simon on bass, showed an easy command of a space filled with a crowd who were, tellingly, 30% mods, 20% skins (or possibly bald mods) and 50% young and cool rock girls. What You Doin’ melded bright pop with garage rock, while one of her standout singles Undo the Blue was a reminder that all the best psychedelic-psych tunes had melancholy laced through them, as if knowing that the love revolution was going to fail somewhere in Altamont.

The six men and six women at York Crown Court took more than seven and a half hours to reach their verdicts at the end of a two-week trial.

Tobias Sampson, 35, of Harrowby Street, Stafford, was formally discharged. 

He denied seven charges of rape, four of voyeurism and two of sexual assault, alleged to have taken place in York and elsewhere in the country.

He joined the Army when he was 17 and a half years old.

The flight from Hurghada, Egypt, to Luton made an urgent landing

An EasyJet flight from Egypt to Luton was forced to make an urgent landing after the crew were informed a power bank was charging in luggage. According to reports, passengers onboard were in a state of panic when the captain said: “There’s something we shouldn’t have in the hold.”

The plane was forced to land in Rome at 11.30pm on Tuesday. According to reports, word got round that a woman told a stewardess about her powerbank — and the flight was diverted due to fire risks.

EasyJet told The Sun : “Flight EZY2618 from Hurghada to Luton on May 19 diverted to Rome Fiumicino as the crew were informed a power bank was charging in luggage.

“The captain then diverted as a precaution in line with safety regulations. Safety is our highest priority.

“We would like to apologise to all passengers for any inconvenience.”

Passengers were put up in hotels or slept in the terminal as the carrier’s next Rome to Luton flight was 2pm on Wednesday, according to reports.

George Russell bounced back after a difficult recent run to beat Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli to sprint pole at the Canadian Grand Prix.

The Briton, who is 20 points adrift of the Italian after four races this season, headed Antonelli by 0.068 seconds after being fastest on both runs in final qualifying.

Lando Norris headed an all-McLaren second row, 0.315secs off pole and 0.019secs in front of team-mate Oscar Piastri.

Ferrari and Red Bull completed a two-by-two top eight with Lewis Hamilton ahead of Charles Leclerc and then Max Verstappen in front of Isack Hadjar.

Russell came to Montreal looking to turn around what he admitted had been a “turbulent” start to the season, in which Antonelli has won three of the four grands prix so far, and he has started the weekend off well.

“It feels great after a tough Miami but I never doubted myself,” said Russell. “I always knew what I could do. This is an amazing circuit, high grip, and feels like you’re driving a proper grand prix car.”

Mercedes have a major upgrade on their car for this race and Russell said it had made a significant difference.

“It’s definitely feeling great,” he said. “The team have done a great job to bring this forward. Pleased to have it on the car and pleased to be back in P1. It’s been a little while but still a big focus for tomorrow.”

McLaren also brought an upgrade to Montreal, their second in as many races, but while it kept them within range of Mercedes it was not enough to counterbalance the effect of Mercedes on this track, where the world champions have often struggled.

Hamilton was 0.361secs off pole and 0.084secs ahead of Leclerc on a circuit where he shares the record number of wins with Michael Schumacher.

And Verstappen, struggling with a car he said was “jumping” at the rear, was just 0.101secs clear of tea-mate Hadjar.

British rookie, in an upgraded Racing Bulls car, was ninth, ahead of Williams driver Carlos Sainz.

Diana Henry is the Telegraph’s much-loved cookery writer. She shares recipes each week, for everything from speedy family dinners to special menus that friends will remember for months. She is also a regular broadcaster on BBC Radio 4, and her journalism and recipe books, including Simple and How to Eat a Peach, are multi-award-winning. A mother of two sons, Diana can satisfy even the fussiest of eaters.   

Balloons and banners also added to the spectacle of the opening.

Such was the success of the opening of a new Greggs Bakery at the Motor Fuel Group’s forecourt at Starbeck Morrisons.

MFG is the UK’s largest forecourt retailer and it says it came up with the idea of having a Gregg’s there as there were no food outlets like it in the area. They tend to be in Starbeck High Street.

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Manager Kuru Sellappan told the Press: “It was very busy when we opened the Greggs at 6am. There were 6-7 people queueing for the opening.

“We have been busy all the time. The sausage rolls and the sweets have run out,” he said this afternoon.

The interior of the new Greggs at Morrisons, Plumpton Park, Starbeck (Image: Pic supplied)

The opening comes as the forecourt has also opened a new jet wash.

As previously reported, the opening adds to others nationally from the Motor Fuels Group.

In December a branch of Greggs opened at the Morrisons service station on the edge of Boroughbridge.

Two potential instances of misuse were identified and are now under investigation, the council said.

Cllr Katie Lomas, the council’s executive member for equality and inclusion and with portfolio for fraud, said it is “committed to ensuring that these badges are used legitimately and uphold the rights of the 7,200 York residents who hold blue badges”.

Council and fraud officers carried out the blue badge checks last Thursday (May 14).

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It came during the latest day of action, with 598 blue badges checked since the crackdown started in May 2023 and 17 potential instances of misuse identified in York.

Cllr Lomas said: “Days of action like this benefit disabled motorists by helping to stamp out blue badge fraud and misuse.

“It’s encouraging to see this relatively low level of suspected misuse.

“It suggests that people parking in the city centre are largely respecting this scheme and that genuine blue badge holders are more likely to be able to find the accessible parking they need.”

The airline said they diverted due to the fire risk adding ‘safety is our highest priority’

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An EasyJet flight was forced to land when a passenger revealed their power bank was charging in luggage. The aeroplane was heading from Egypt to Luton before diverting to Rome at 11.30pm on Tuesday (May 19).

According to reports, word got round that a woman told a stewardess about her power bank, and the flight was diverted due to fire risks Irish Mirror reports.

EasyJet told The Sun: “Flight EZY2618 from Hurghada to Luton on May 19 diverted to Rome Fiumicino as the crew were informed a power bank was charging in luggage. The captain then diverted as a precaution in line with safety regulations.

“Safety is our highest priority. We would like to apologise to all passengers for any inconvenience.”

Passengers were put up in hotels or slept in the terminal as the carrier’s next Rome to Luton flight was 2pm on Wednesday, according to reports.

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