Tuesday 17th May: At lunchtime today Somerset Charrington delivered to Minard School  a literary beanfeast from Achaleven School (published below on Sunday 15th May 2011).

At the same tine he took charge of Minard’s glorious artwork en route for Clachan School.

Perhaps ARSN might consider an exhibition of the messages Somerset’s Cycle for Schools adventure will have wheeled from one school to the next? 

His ‘chain letter of support’ for the Argyll schools threatened with closure finishes at Luss on Loch Lomond next Saturday 21st May 2011), via, from today, Kintyre (Clachan, Rhunahaorine and Skipness Schools), Bute (North Bute School) and Cowal (Toward School)? His full itinerary for the ride is here.

Today, courtesy of Andy Craven’s photography, Somerset and the Minard pupils look as if they were really enjoying themselves – and they were. For the record the midges were horrendous in today’s overcast damp conditions that they SO adore.

There are more photographs of Minard School and Somerset’s exchange of messages on Andy Craven’s Facebook page and on Minard School’s powerful Facebook Page.

This was Andy Craven (below), the father of two children at Minard School, stopping opposite the entrance to Minard Castle at 12.20 to let us know that we too had been back-footed by a swift Somerset Charrington who was already at Minard School.

Andy had been staked out with his camera at Birdfield, to catch Somerset coming off the forest tracks and out on to the A83 We’d been at the Castle entrance to catch him coming down the long stretch of Minard Hill.

Andy Craven is shortly to email us photographs of Somerset’s exchange of the two messages at Minard School – one he has carried to them from Achaleven School and one he will carry from Minard on to Clachan.

This, above, was the scene outside the little gate to the school, celebratory with balloons to welcome the cyclist for schools.

We took some photographs of the grounds of Minard School to show that, added to a first class HMIE report, the school is every parent’s idyll of a rural primary school education for their children.

The grounds have mature trees that appeal even to the physical  imaginations of those supposed to be beyond the playful. There are both growing beds and a polytunnel for internal propagation.

There is a dreamlike gravel path wending up the hill to the school where there is a playground behind. Down one side of the grounds a little burn can be heard bouncing its way to Loch Fyne.

What sort of vandal would even think of closing a school like this? And what sort of a community would Minard be without it?