A PROTEST was held outside the county council offices in Aberystwyth on Tuesday as a popular Penglais School art teacher appealed his controversial sacking.

It was reported in the Cambrian News in July that the secondary school’s head of art, Richard Edwards, had been sacked for gross misconduct following a disciplinary hearing, despite a petition to save his job gaining more than 1,400 signatures within days.

Following the decision to dismiss Mr Edwards — also known as Mr Ed, or Ed — pupils staged a walk-out in protest, with a video appearing on social media showing the pupils fleeing as two uniformed police officers walked towards them.

Mr Edwards attended an appeal hearing at Ceredigion County Council’s Canolfan Rheidol offices on Tuesday morning, with a group called ‘Supporting Mr Ed’ holding a ‘peaceful protest’ outside.

“There was such a massive outpouring of support for Ed when he was sacked,” Lesley Jeffreys, the organiser of the protest, told the Cambrian News.

“You only have to look at the petition comments to see the love for the man, and the palpable respect he has got in the school and the community.

“I wanted to organise a peaceful protest to show Ed how much support he has. I think it is an unbelievable decision really, and I think that is evident from the fact so many people have asked why such a great man is being cast aside. He is a welcoming and warm human being, and the greatest thing about him is his honesty and integrity.”

Asked what she hoped to achieve from the protest, Mrs Jeffreys, who is a registered homeopath from Furnace, said she hoped the appeal panel will take into consideration the level of support for Mr Edwards.

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