Yate Town Council has exchanged contracts with the church and diocese to buy Tudor Cottage, the former school and schoolmaster’s house, which has been deteriorating for years. The 1840s school rooms are still intact and will be refurbished as part of plans to make the building an extension of Yate Heritage Centre and a wider community hall. Councillors say the purchase marks a major step towards safeguarding one of the town’s most important historic buildings and giving it a secure future. Residents are being invited to help shape the project at a public event at Yate Heritage Centre on Wednesday, August 5 at 6pm. People are encouraged to bring memories, photographs and documents linked to Tudor Cottage and the families who lived there, while the council shares early ideas and listens to suggestions.