MORE than 800 letters demanding fair and equal funding for schools in Wyre Forest and the rest of Worcestershire have been sent to the House of Commons as a parents' protest gathers momentum.

The office of Mid-Worcestershire MP Peter Luff has been deluged with the letters sent from parents of around 30 schools.

He is backing the campaign launched by Evesham mum Helen Donovan and supported by Kidderminster parent-governor Sarah Beadsworth after successive years of low Government funding.

The county is currently 33rd out of 34 in a table based on education funding per pupil and receives about £300 less for each primary school child and £500 less for each high school pupil than comparable counties.

Mrs Beadsworth, a parent-governor at St John's CE First School in Blakebrook said: "The response so far is encouraging, but we need more.

"All schools have been sent copies of the letter and I hope they will give their parents the opportunity to sign it. Our children's future is at stake here."

She said a number of schools, including Lickhill Middle at Stourport, were planning to ask parents to sign when they have their open evenings.

Mr Luff is to arrange for Mrs Donovan to put the case for Worcestershire to schools minister David Milliband and to present him with the protest letters.