Gerry Anderson, the creator of the Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet and Stingray, has become the patron of charity supporting a Bicester school.

It will be the first time the Friends of Bardwell School, a special needs school in Hendon Place, off Sunderland Drive, has had a patron.

Group chairman Samantha Jackson said: "The Friends is a very small local charity and to have the support, even on a low-key basis like this, of someone like Gerry Anderson is a huge development.

"It is hoped that by having such a well-known patron we will be able to raise the profile of the group locally and thus the issues surrounding living with a child with disabilities or behavioural problems."