EVESHAM schools campaigner Helen Donovan had a private meeting with Prime Minister Tony Blair when he came to Worcestershire!

The mother of two "ambushed" the Prime Minister when he visited a sports centre in Redditch as part of a whistle stop tour of the county on Tuesday.

"I got a tip off that he was coming to Kingsley Sports Centre and decided to try my luck. At first they would not let me in and said I was a security risk," said Helen Donovan, aged 36, a leader of the Worcestershire Schools Campaign.

"In a bid to keep me out the way I was kept talking to an official but when they feared that I would ask Tony Blair a difficult question in front of the television cameras, a minder offered me a deal of a two minute meeting with Mr Blair.

"In the end, I had five minutes and asked him to explain why Worcestershire had dropped from 17th to 32nd in the league table of spending on education for shire counties. In 1997 each child in Worcestershire received £130 less than the national average and in eight years that shortfall has increased to £390 and I asked the Prime Minister to justify this state of affairs.

"When the day started I had no idea that I would meet Mr Blair but it was just too good an opportunity to miss. He has promised that he and the Education Secretary Ruth Kelly will get back to me and I expect him to keep his word."

Mrs Donovan, who lives in St Margarets Road, said it was clear that she was not welcome and every trick was used to try to keep her out of the way, especially away from the TV cameras, but in the end persistence paid off.