Hundreds of angry parents and pupils flocked to Colwyn Bay to join a protest against education funding cuts.

Conwy County Borough Council (CCBC) decided on their budget last week which will see about a four per cent cut from education funding which equates to figures of more than £400,000 for some of the county’s 60 schools.

A letter, co-signed by headteachers in Conwy, went out to all parents recently informing them of the “make or break” situation schools in the county were faced with.

In the letter to the parents it was outlined the funding cuts could have an affect on a variety of different areas throughout schools including larger class sizes and fewer teachers; school buildings falling into disrepair and fewer trips and after school activities.

These cuts have caused major concerns amongst parents and the Conwy county and emotions boiled over resulting in a protest.

More than 250 people attended the protest at Queens Park, Colwyn Bay, on Saturday including Darren Millar, Clwyd West AM, and a variety of CCBC councillors.

Jane Vo-Hughes, one of the protest organisers from Fund Conwy Schools group, said: "I’m very pleased and happy with the turnout for the day.

"It shows that there is unrest over the budget cuts and people want to show their support and did so by turning up in droves.

"Since the protest, traffic to our Facebook page has significantly increased which reflects this. We will continue to highlight these issues until something is done about it.”

Vicky Davila, another one of the organisers, added: "We are greatly encouraged and enthused by the support we received on Saturday from parents, teachers and politicians alike and would like to thank all those who attended.

"We would urge all parents to sign the petition, like our Facebook page and keep up to date with what's happening.

"One thing is for sure, our children's education is our priority and we are committed to doing everything in our power to fight for it."

Helen Mulley, who was another organiser of the event, said the group is now planning their next step in the Fund Conwy Schools Campaign.

Chair of the Conwy Secondary Headteachers group, Ann Webb, said it had been great to see the positive reaction from parents and the community in regards to supporting the schools in the area on this important matter.

But despite all this CCBC had still passed their budget which meant the cuts to education funding had now become a reality.

Mrs Webb, who is also a headteacher at Ysgol John Bright, said: "There is nothing positive to come from the council's budget.

"The people that are making these decisions, making people redundant, increasing our workloads, it is not them that has to then action them. We see the affects first hand.

"They establish the funding cuts but then we are the ones that have to do it. We are powerless."

She added that her and headteachers in Conwy were "not optimistic" about the future and and more cuts could be expected in years to come driving schools in the area into deficit.

Cllr Garffild Lewis, CCBC cabinet member for education, was at the protest on Saturday and spoke to the crowds of people in attendance.

In a statement to the Pioneer following the event, cllr Lewis added: "I’m very aware of the concerns expressed. We’ve been working with teachers, heads and governors for many months now but I know these cuts are going to have an impact on our schools.

"We were facing a £15m budget deficit and we had to deliver a balanced budget for the Council. We have tried to protect schools budgets.

"The cut was expected to be 4 per cent, but it’s down to about 3.2 per cent, and we’ve promised that if the teachers’ pension increases are fully funded then any additional funding will be passed on to schools.

"But there’s no hiding the fact that it’s going to be very tough for schools.”