A FORMER Manchester United footballer has joined an appeal for a school to raise £16,000 by next Friday.

Paul Bielby has joined the campaign to get special sports status for his old school, Longfield Comprehensive, in Darlington.

His daughter, Helen, is a pupil at the school and recently met former head-teacher Austin Brooks who was in charge when her father was at the school.

Longfield school needs to raise £50,000 to bid for the new status, which would allow it to dip into funding from the Government and would enable it to provide the best sporting facilities and coaching for its pupils.

Any new facilities would also be open to the public.

The school had already raised £25,000 and has been pledged another £9,000 since The Northern Echo started to back the campaign last week.

Mr Bielby joined the school when it first opened in 1968.

He said: "Since then thousands of children have enjoyed very good standards of education provided by professional and caring teachers.

"This has been achieved with a very careful management of available funding in an area where investment is long overdue.

"I was fortunate on leaving Longfield to join Manchester United and proud to represent England at Youth International Level.

"Hopefully, many more youngsters will achieve town, county and international sporting honours in the future, however we must all pull together now and support the Longfield Sports College appeal before we again lose out."