A CLASSIC car is going online as part of an internet auction to raise funds for a Bradford on Avon school.

The left-hand drive Morris Minor, built in America for export in 1960, will be auctioned through the eBay website as part of a fundraising initiative by parents of pupils at St Laurence School.

Ted and Gill King bought the car when they were working in the US and fell so firmly in love with 'Morris' they brought it home with them to Bradford.

The couple, and their two children, Laurie and Ashleigh, have now decided it is time to part company with the white, two-door car, for the sake of a good cause.

Mr King said: "I bought Morris for $400 when I was working in the United States in 1980. I got him in Los Angeles and drove across the USA to Vermont three years later.

"The car was shipped to Liverpool from New York in 1985."

The car, which needs an engine conversion to take unleaded petrol, will be auctioned on the eBay website with a reserve price of £250 as part of a new campaign by the St Laurence School Parents' Association to raise funds for a new restaurant for pupils to use at lunchtime.

SLSA chairman Charlie Stratton said: "We've only just launched our page on the eBay site and already had vases, language tapes, a TV stand and a few other things donated.

"We're keen to get more things like that but when Ted asked me if I would like to auction his car for school funds I couldn't believe my luck."

Parents have also been mucking in to brighten up the school, painting corridors in their spare time.

Mums and Dads of St Laurence pupils have had three 'DIY SOS' sessions at the school and have given much of the Fitzmaurice Building a fresh coat of paint.

Di Ainsworth, who has two teenage sons at the school, has been co-ordinating the painting weekends. She said: "We have had a lot of fun doing it and I have been staggered by how much we have been able to achieve in a short time.

"It's great for the youngsters to see that parents really care about their education and will give up their free time to help out. So many staff and children have told me how much they appreciate it and how good the school is looking.

"But I have got a lot out of it too and we have all made new friends."

New headteacher James Colquhoun, who joined the school in January, has also launched his own campaign to clean up the school.

Staff and pupils have filled six skips with rubbish from classrooms and corridors.

Mr Colquhoun said: "The painting has been fantastically coordinated and there is a real feel-good factor for parents and students around the place now."