Graham Gooch and Mike Gatting at Taunton School event

Graham Gooch and Mike Gatting will be in conversation with BBC cricket commentator Pat Murphy in the Densham Suite on Friday, May 26.

The dinner has been organised by six sixth formers as part of their BTEC business curriculum and is raising money to help fund a bursary for future students on the course.

The course requires students to set up and run their own money-making enterprise.

Peter Stoddart, head of business and economics, said: "These 17 and 18-year-olds have organised every aspect of the evening, from sourcing the venue and the menus to getting auction and raffle prizes.

"They could have run a cake sale or a lemonade stand, but that’s not how we do things here.

“They have networked with people, learnt how to deal with refusal and persevered. It has been a big learning curve.”

Student Rufus Hetherington said taking responsibility for running such a prestigious event was empowering for the whole team.

He added: "With the money we raise, we hope to leave a legacy to support a BTEC bursary for a student to study at Taunton School who otherwise wouldn't have the opportunity to do so.”

The students will act as masters of ceremonies on the evening, oversee the auction as well as act as car park attendants.

Tickets, which include a three-course dinner and drink, are available from Ticketsource.

Prices range from £60 a head to £1,100 for a table of eight with Mike Gatting or Graham Gooch.

Auction and raffle prizes sourced by the students include an Ashes 2005 shirt signed by another Test former captain Freddie Flintoff, a cricket bat signed by Somerset and England cricketer Jack Leach, a shirt from Somerset captain and former Taunton School pupil Tom Abell, as well as a shirt signed by footballer Harry Kane.

The students also secured sponsorship from cricket bat makers Millichamp and Hall.

Gatting and Gooch were two of England's greatest batsmen, playing a combined total of 197 Test matches and scoring more than 13,300 runs.