AN ACCRINGTON school will get £350,000 over two years to build a new science lab and overhaul its existing facilities.

The news was announced by head of Mount Carmel RC High Katrina Ryan at their awards evening in the school hall, in Wordsworth Street.

The grant from the Salford Roman Catholic Diocese will add to the £500,000 from the government's Department of Education and Skills for its designation as a specialist science college.

The work, to start in the New Year, will follow the official opening of the new name school. Education minister Charles Clarke is expected to do the honours.

The news follows a year of intensive fundraising which has seen the school pull together £50,000 in order to bid for the status.

Mrs Ryan said: "It was on awards evening last year that I made the statement that never had I felt as daunted by such a task as raising £50,000 in order to enter the bidding arena to become a specialist science college.

"Well, we did it. Never have I attended so many dinners and events as I did last year."

She said since then the school had held fundraising events including a charity auction dinner at Horizons in Accrington's Globe Centre which raised £1,000.

Other events included a fashion show in the town hall that raised £5,000, serving sausage sandwiches during early World Cup matches, Rainbow Days where people wear as many colours as possible and a reunion ball at the Dunkenhalgh Hotel, in Clayton-le-Moors.