MORE than 1,000 ex-Longlands pupils turned out for a reunion and last-chance look at their old school before it is mothballed.

The event for former staff and students of all ages was held at the old Longlands School/Brook Street Council School in Brook Street, Stourbridge, on Saturday September 10.

Former pupil Paul Gardner, who runs the school’s unofficial website (longlandsschool.co.uk), organised the big get-together - following previous mass reunions at the old Stewponey pub and hotel in 2001 and Stourbridge Rugby Club in 2005.

He said: “It was great, we had just over 1,000 people turn up this time. I don’t think we’ll ever have an event of this size again.”

He said former classmates had travelled from far and wide to meet up with old pals.

One ex-pupil had flown in from Canada; and another couple, Richard and Emma Westwood who met and fell in love at Longlands, had travelled from Dubai.

Mr Gardner from Wollescote, who was a pupil at Longlands in the 1970s, said if the school is eventually demolished romantic Mr Westwood would like to get his hands on the classroom step on which he was standing when he first spotted his future wife back in the 1980s.

The school, which opened its doors in 1912, officially ceased to exist as Longlands back in 1990 when it merged with High Park to form Ridgewood High.

The site was more recently used by Stourbridge College art students but following the opening of the college’s new creative industries campus it is set to be mothballed before being sold off and likely demolished for redevelopment.