STAFF and pupils at a Witney primary school made some new friends this week when the school was visited by Chinese teachers.

Teachers from the Dongjun Primary School in Chang Sha, the capital city of Hunan, in south-central China, are visiting the Blake CoE School all this week.

They were among nine teachers who have travelled to Oxfordshire from the region in a bid to forge links with the county.

The teachers were treated to a special assembly including singing and dancing from the pupils, who gave them hand made gifts, including candle holders.

The visitors were also shown around Witney, given prints of the town’s beauty spots, and invited to headteacher Marilyn Trigg’s house for tea.

She said the idea for the trip came after she visited China last year.

Ms Trigg said: “It is going to be a very important link for the two cultures and for the children.

“The children are the future generation so this is a very valuable programme.”