CHILDREN at Walwayne Primary in Trowbridge were able to tap into their creative side as the school hosted its first ever arts week.

The diverse cultures of the town were celebrated over the course of last week as each day pupils were educated about different countries including China, India, Africa, Poland and Britain.

The North, East, South, West project was the brainchild of teacher Becky Mould who first came up with the idea after the school received funding from the Big Lottery.

“We tried to show the diverse range of cultures we have in the UK and we have tried to pick countries that have a community in Trowbridge,” she added. “Pupils have tried all different types of dancing and on Tuesday which focused on the country of India, the children were able to get given a bindi for all their hard work and great moves in Bollywood dancing.

“I have been lucky enough to dip in and out of the sessions and I have got a sense that the children, who might not be able to succeed as well as others in English or maths, have been able to shine. Every child has been given the chance to try new things.”

Pupils from Horningsham School were able to attend the week, which included Trowbridge boxer Nick Blackwell teaching children how to box.

Headteacher Bev Kenyon added that by having a range of experts such as artists and sports coaches at the school, children were given the chance to get involved in activities from different cultures including Kabaddi and Kho Kho dancing.

“We have had students from Bath Spa and The Consortium as well as parents in certain industries come in and help us to make the week be surrounded by a community vibe.

“We are also so glad Nick was able to come in and help out as an ambassador for Active Trowbridge. What has been really amazing is that some children were able to shine. It is nice that they were able to speak about what skills they were going to learn at the start of the week and they were talking about resilient, never giving up and being brave to try new things. All of this impacts on their own wellbeing, as well as their learning and development. It was a fantastic thing as we celebrated our diverse community.”

The week ended with a grandparents’ day.