TOP talks have been held on the possibility of turning a school into a community centre.

A public meeting was held in Stoke on Monday night to discuss the future of Redgrove School, which is closing.

Bromsgrove district councillor John Tidmarsh (Con-Stoke Prior) is spearheading a campaign to secure the best possible use for the building, which once represented the focal point for the local community based on the old salt works.

At the meeting, in Stoke's village hall, in Hanbury Road, Cllr Tidmarsh said 100 years ago Stoke Works was world renowned for its salt works and the owner John Corbett built and endowed the John Corbett School, now Redgrove. Worcestershire County Council is closing the school and the premises is due to be put up for auction. Cllr Tidmarsh has said his role was to act as a facilitator to ensure the school's future use as a community centre was fully explored by consultation with interested bodies.

Rev Roger Antell, vicar of St Michael's Church, Stoke Prior, chaired the meeting where guests included county and district council officers, Stoke parish councillors, police officers and members of the public.

At the meeting Alan Stokes, strategy and policy unit manager of property services at the county council, said it was the authority's responsibility to obtain the best possible market value for the property. The question of communal use for economic viability was also outlined.

The outcome of the meeting was Stoke Parish Council chairman Thelma Roll agreeing to call a special meeting of the group to investigate the feasibility of the proposals.