Oxford has been awarded the Gold Star of Europe for its town-twinning work -- particularly for a concert celebrating links with its latest twin, Perm in Russia.

Links with Perm were established about 10 years ago, through the universities and the Oxfordshire Council for Voluntary Action.

Last November, the city council's executive board agreed to formally recognise Perm as a twin town.

To mark the new ties, youth orchestras from Grenoble, Bonn, Leiden and Oxford accompanied the Perm Youth Ballet in performances at the Town Hall in December. The performances included Stravinsky's Firebird.

Young people from all the twin towns also joined together for a special performance at the Lord Mayor's Carol Concert, and now the European Commission has recognised the city council's twinning work as one of ten of the best examples across Europe. May Wylie, the council's international officer, said she was delighted that the council had received the award and planned to attend the award ceremony in Antwerp, Belgium, on May 22, with Don Rouse, chairman of the Oxford International Links Committee. She said: "The events in December took more than a year to plan, and I think the award recognises the achievements of the young people who took part."

Other towns and cities with ties to Oxford are: Leiden, Holland, twinned in 1946; Bonn, Germany, twinned in 1947; Leon, Nicaragua, twinned in 1986; and Grenoble, France, twinned in 1989. Perm is a port, on the Kama river, in the northern Ural mountains. The city was founded in the 18th century and has a population of 1,110,000.