TV star Dawn French and comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis are helping in the race to raise £70,000 by the end of August for a specialist schools project in Abingdon.

Dawn French

The actress and Mr Curtis -- who wrote the Vicar of Dibley and the Blackadder comedy series starring Oxfordshire actor Rowan Atkinson -- have joined companies, charitable trusts and the public to help Fitzharrys, John Mason and Larkmead achieve specialist school status.

They are backing the schools in a joint bid to attract £1.8m of Government funding for new facilities. They would be shared by 24 primary schools and the public. The biggest donor so far has been mobile phone company Vodafone, which has offices in Abingdon.

The company has pumped in £50,000.

Businesses, trusts, parents and friends of the schools have contributed more than £80,000 to a joint campaign for £150,000 -- the amount needed to get Government funding.

Fundraisers are hoping to raise the outstanding £70,000 by the end of July.

Dawn French and Richard Curtis became involved through Paul Mayhew-Archer, a former teacher at John Mason who co-wrote The Vicar of Dibley.

Mr Mayhew-Archer, who lives in the town, has donated £3,500 to the campaign -- the equivalent of his salary when he joined John Mason. Dawn French and Richard Curtis have also made "generous" contributions.