SCHOOLchildren donned bright costumes to mark St Patrick’s Day with a performance of traditional Irish dancing yesterday.

The pupils from St Mary’s Primary School, in Queens Avenue, Bicester, stepped out in their dancing shoes at Cherwell Valley Services, at junction 10 on the M40, near Ardley.

The children, aged five to 11, take Irish dance classes after school, and for the fourth year running got the chance to show off their skills to motorway service customers.

Headteacher Patricia Pickering said: “The children were nervous but loved doing it. At the end of the event they were sorry it had ended.

“Passing customers were delighted at seeing them and stopped to do a little bit of foot tapping.”

She said although none of the children had been born in Ireland, many of their families were of Irish descent.

Justin Shell, general manager of the service station, said it had adopted the school as part of its community activity initiative.

He said: “Our links with the local community are very important to us and our relationship with St Mary’s Primary School is a perfect example of those links in action.

“We were delighted to welcome the school’s Irish dancers to Cherwell Valley. They were a big hit with our customers.”

A collection was made and the money cash raised will be ploughed back into the community through the Moto in the Community Trust.

Over the past few years St Mary’s has received books and gardening equipment through the scheme.