Ex-pupils from Brecon Girls Grammar School came together for a school reunion for the last time this month 65 years after they first started at the school.

The women, who all started at the Penlan school in 1953, met at Cradoc Golf Club for a celebratory lunch on Friday, September 7.

The group have been meeting every other year since they celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2003.

Joan Millard, who organised the final formal get-together, said: “I’ve organised the last three, but we’ve been meeting since 2003.

“We knew this year would be our last meeting so we decided we wanted to go out with a splash.”

Speaking about the reunion, Ms Millard said they had all thoroughly enjoyed the get-together and reminiscing on their school days.

She said: “It was lovely to catch up on old times and talk about the headmistress, Miss A.B. Jones who started the same year as we did.

“Her nickname was Annie Be Joyful, and who seemed to us to be totally lacking in any sense of humour.”

The group had form photographs on display at the special lunch which were taken in 1954.

The reminiscent ex-pupils commented that it was interesting to see how much or how little they had all changed in 65 years.

Of the original 60 women in the year-group, 24 attended the event – numbers have declined in recent years as a result of people moving away from the area and ill-health.

In first meet-up, 46 of the year group attended but it increased to being around the full year group in later years.

Ms Millard said: “It is sad that this reunion is to be the last for our year, but better to quit while ahead. To turn up with our zimmer frames would not be for us, the ‘Class of 53’.”

Brecon Girls Grammar School opened in 1896 with only 13 pupils and temporary accommodation on The Struet before moving to its new premises on Cerrigcochion Road in 1901.

The all-girl school closed in July 1971 with the formation of the new and mixed-sex Brecon High School which will be moving to a new building in September next year.

Gwyneth Tomblin, who organised the original meet-up 15 years ago, said: “It started because a lot of us met up every year anyway, and we realised there were for more of our year so we thought we’d do an official one of our own. I knew quite a lot of the girls in the west wing of the school and others knew a lot of the girls in the east, and it just grew from there really so that we’ve met up every other year since.”

The class of 53’ has said that, despite it being their last formal gathering, they will still meet in smaller groups informally.