A Dudley school is appealing for public support to secure the top prize in a national competition.

Thorns Collegiate Academy, in Quarry Bank, is one of 12 finalists in Selco Builders Warehouse's Community Heroes competition, which had nearly 2,000 entries.

The winner will receive £5,000, while the runner-up will get £1,000.

Read more: King's Award for Voluntary Service awarded to Dudley groups

A public vote will decide the victor, and voting is open until Saturday, November 30.

All 12 finalists selected by the judges over the last six months have already won £500 worth of building materials from Selco, which has a branch in Dudley on Coneygree Industrial Estate.

The school intends to use the potential prize money to create an outdoor classroom for sustainability sessions and a community allotment, which would be accessible to both pupils and their families.

Shireland Collegiate Academy Trust's director of SEND, Sally Philpotts, said: "The ability to offer outdoor learning opportunities will not only support our students to develop their physical and mental wellbeing, but will also offer invaluable opportunities for staff, students, families and the wider community to understand how they can live more sustainably.

"This would be a huge boost for the school and we'll be going all out to win."

Selco's head of multi-channel marketing, Simon Humpage, said: "Our Community Heroes campaign has once again captured the country’s imagination with nearly 2,000 good causes getting involved.

"We have already supported a dozen monthly winners with £6,000 worth of product and we’re excited to head into the next stage of the competition."

He added: "We’ve had some amazing entries, so Thorns Collegiate Academy has done exceptionally well to make it this far.

"The prize money would make a huge difference to the work they do in the local area."

Votes can be cast on Selco's website (https://www.selcobw.com/info/selco-community-heroes).