SCHOOLMATES of a girl who has cancer raised £2,500 to help send her on a special trip to swim with dolphins in Florida.

Abigail Taylor-Silk, 13, a Year Nine pupil at Ridgeway School in Wroughton, is battling Hodgkin's Disease.

She hopes to go with loved ones on the trip of a lifetime, but the cost will run into thousands of pounds.

The £2,500 Ridgeway donation was given to SMILE, the local campaign devoted to helping her achieve her ambition.

Fellow pupils staged events ranging from a non-uniform day to a sponsored walk.

Money was also donated by local pub the Shepherd's Rest, which was persuaded to hold a quiz evening by another Year Nine pupil, Charlotte Morley, a friend of Abigail.

Abigail of St Andrew's Close, Wroughton, was diagnosed with the rare form of cancer 18 months ago.

She said: "I adore dolphins and I will be thinking about it constantly over the coming months."

Villagers in Wroughton set up a committee called Smile so Abigail and her mother, Denise, 38, could go on the holiday of a lifetime.

Although there is now enough money for the trip, it now hangs on the results of an MRI scan in December which will show if Abigail is well enough to go or may be delayed for more treatment.