ACTOR Stephen Fry has added his voice to the campaign to save the Three Cups as a hotel.

He joins actor Jeremy Irons and author Tracy Chevalier in the fight to convince owners Palmers Brewery to give the Lyme Regis building a new lease of life as a hotel.

It comes as local campaigners from the Save the Three Cups as a Hotel Group prepare to meet with senior officials from West Dorset District Council ahead of a public meeting on the issue on Friday.

It is also following a 50-strong protest march through the town on Sunday led by 10-year-old schoolboy Leon Howe in a bid to raise awareness and publicise Friday’s meeting.

Mrs Ethelston’s Primary School pupil Leon has been writing to celebrities to rally support and this week received an email from Stephen Fry.

The actor commended the schoolboy for his initiative and said he would be happy to sign up to the petition.

Jeremy Irons – who starred in The French Lieutenant’s Woman, which featured the hotel – has also pledged his continuing support after he called for legal action over the building in April.

Campaigner John Dover said: “He continues to be very supportive of the campaign.”

Tracy Chevalier – who recently launched her book about Lyme fossil hunter Mary Anning – also wants to see the building saved as a hotel given its literary connections, with past guests including authors JRR Tolkien and Jane Austen.

The petition now has more than 2,500 signatures. “We are pounding the streets of Lyme Regis but obviously that is a slow job,” said Mr Dover. “We want to be able to clearly demonstrate that the majority of Lyme Regis has signed up and of the ones we have covered, it is in the high 90 per cent of people who are in favour.”

The campaign group hopes to be able to demonstrate the local support when three members meet with district council leader Robert Gould and the authority’s director of planning and community services Dr David Evans on Friday.

Mr Dover said: ”We have been promised a full update on the position of West Dorset District Council on the question of the Three Cups.

“We regard this meeting as a very significant step because until now the authority has only been prepared to talk directly to Palmers Brewery who own the building, and Lyme Regis Town Council.”

A full report of the talks will be given at the public meeting at 7pm in the Woodmead Halls.

The meeting will hear from author Tracy Chevalier.