ENTRIES have started rolling in for our Cash for Schools competition.

Primary and middle schools across South Worcestershire have been putting forward ideas for how they would spend the money in a bid to try a win a slice of £25,000.

We've teamed up with Western Power Distribution (WPD) to run the competition.

Readers have three weeks to nominate the primary or middle school in South Worcestershire they believe most deserves the money.

The school must then put forward a project that it would like to spend the cash on.

A team of judges will select the 30 best projects and you will be able to collect voting coupons printed in the paper to vote for your favourite.

The school with the most votes over a month-long period will take away the top prize of £5,000, while second place receives £3,000 and third and fourth get £1,500 each.

Then, we'll be sharing the rest of the pot between the 26 other shortlisted schools so that as many youngsters as possible across South Worcestershire will benefit from the money.

The first entry to arrive was from Pitmaston Primary School in St John's, Worcester.

Sue Bladen, the school's business manager, said: "I think it's a really good idea especially as it means the parents can get involved."

The Malvern Road school would put any money it won towards new play equipment for the children to use at break times and lunch times.

Mrs Bladen said: "We want to expand the range of activities available to the children in break and lunch sessions.

"We want to enable our lunch time staff to better engage with the children and teach them new games.

"A lot of children spend a lot of time on electronic games and they may not play some of the more traditional games on the playground.

"We have play leaders who are the older children in school and they play with the younger children and they teach them how play together.

"They would get to choose what that money is spent on."

We will be printing a nomination form, like the one on page six, every day until Wednesday, September 30.

WPD is the electricity distribution network operator for the Midlands, South Wales and South West.