Premiership manager David O'Leary is to appear in a video to help a Keighley school raise cash to secure its sports college status.

The Leeds United manager has agreed to talk about Oakbank School's work as a centre of sporting excellence on the video, which will be used to encourage companies to sponsor the venture.

The school was at the centre of a storm last summer after its sports college status was removed following questions over how it raised sponsorship money in the town.

But after an investigation, sparked by Schools Minister Estelle Morris and lobbying by Keighley MP Ann Cryer, the Minister said she was prepared to reinstate the status, as long as £75,000 was raised in new sponsorship.

Oakbank already had £40,000 pledged and staff and pupils have been working to raise the balance, so far reaching £17,000. Head of sport Helen Plimmer said they had written to Mr O'Leary asking him to appear in the film.

"We're delighted that he said he would," she said. "We have yet to speak to him directly about how he will feature but we're hoping that his support will encourage others to get involved and sponsor us."

The video is being produced and funded by Bradford-based Advance Visual Communication, run by Mike Smith, of Oakworth, and students have been filming activities at the school.

"The aim is to take the video with us to companies and use it as part of a presentation. It will tell them what happens at the school and what our plans are and urge them to support us," she said.

The money raised is to be spent on building an all-weather pitch to be used by the school and the community. It will be suitable for soccer, hockey, tennis and cricket.

A series of other money-spinning ventures is planned for the rest of the year, including a sportsman's dinner at the Three Sisters hotel at Haworth on Wednesday, May 24.

A hockey festival has been planned for July 1 and later a corporate sports day is to be arranged for local companies.

Throughout the summer the school is holding a fitness challenge in which people will be invited to compete in the school's fitness suite.

Oakbank has to have a progress report ready to present to the Minister by next month, outlining details of its fund-raising events.

The school stands to receive £100,000 a year for the sports college to spend on salaries and equipment.

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