A FRIENDSHIP forged between cities decades ago was cemented in style at the new Westgate centre.

A mosaic marking Oxford’s bond with twinned Dutch city Leiden was unveiled as a permanent reminder of the 71-year-old partnership.

Dignitaries gathered on Saturday for a ceremony in Westgate’s Leiden Square, outside John Lewis, where shoppers can admire the artfully-arranged ceramic floor tiles.

Henri Lenferink, Burgomaster (mayor) of Leiden, told crowds he was ‘delighted’ with the mosaic and square, hailing the creation as the start of a ‘new era’ of partnership.

He added: “It’s such a high-quality public space. You’ve succeeded in bringing new quality to an ancient city.”

The circular mosaic marries a symbol for each city: blue arcs representing the horns of Oxford’s ox emblem, and a cross representing the cross keys in Leiden’s coat of arms.

Leiden and Oxford, which both boast leading universities, twinned in 1946 as part of efforts to strengthen international friendships after the Second World War.

The link has enabled exchanges between cultural and sporting groups and united residents through festivals and concerts.

Another Oxford-Leiden partnership is a young artists’ group called Klick.

Three of its members created the mosaic over a period of six months.

Headington resident Lauren Baldwin, 26, Abingdon resident Tamsin Corrigan, 25, and Leiden artist Emma van Noort, 26 were all involved.

Crowds cheered as Lord Mayor of Oxford Jean Fooks declared the square open just after midday.

She added: “We very much hope the collaboration and friendship between our two cities, and indeed the rest of Europe, may continue.”

The ceremony was delayed slightly by a power outage in the square, understood to have been caused by incompatible plugs, but the glitch failed to short-circuit the celebratory spirit.

Mayoral speeches gave way to performances from the Cutting Edge brass band, Messy Jam dance troupe and Leiden band K&G.

John Chipperfield, chairman of the Oxford-Leiden Link, said: “It’s a tremendous achievement. It’s a very prominent and permanent reminder of our long-running link.”

Roelof Hol, chairman of the link in Leiden, was keen to engage more young people to ensure the link does not ‘fade away’.

He added: “This is an example of the next generation of friendship.”