THIS year's Friends of St Mary's RC School committee has alre-ady raised £1,000 for new school books but now they are setting their sights even higher.

The 15-strong comm-ittee, which had a new chairman, vice-chair-man and treasurer at the start of the school term in September, looks after more than 70 pupils at the Broadway school.

Chairman Amanda Cockle, vice-chairman Clare Challenor and treasurer Bernie Icke have led the way to raising £1,000 for reading books for pupils with their first two events - a bonfire night and a horse racing night at the Lifford Hall.

Now the committee is thinking about applying for lottery funding for computers for the school - a £5,000 grant which they will have to match fund, which will test their fundraising skills to the limit.

In the short term, the committee is planning more events to raise money.

The first event will be a table top sale at the school on April 5 from 10am to 12noon.

This will be followed by a barn dance to traditional country music at the Lifford Hall on May 10. Tickets priced at £7.50 including a ploug-hman's, are available from Amanda Cockle on 01386 858543. The Friends hope the annual summer fete on the Green in Broadway on July 5 will prove to be one of the biggest fundraisers of the year.