Dragons and dance routines prepared for Telford Chinese New Year celebrations

Decorations are up at the Chinese Arts and Culture Centre, in Telford, as staff welcome pupils from schools across the region who have been learning about the country as part of their curriculum studies.

The latest to visit the centre, in Stafford Park, was a 60-strong group of pupils from Christ the King Catholic Primary, in Birmingham.

Centre director Grace Tong said: “We get a lot of schools visiting the centre. It is all decorated with items that the children can play with and they can take part in fan and ribbon dancing activities.

“They are given an opportunity to create their own dances with our help and we find that they pick up the steps very quickly and they enjoy themselves.”

Chinese New Year will be marked on January 25 and the centre will host an open day featuring performances plus art and craft sessions, from 2pm to 4.30pm. Among the guests will be Mayor of Telford, Councillor Stephen Reynolds. Further information is available on 07920 886316.

Education visits co-ordinator Cath Madden, from the Kingstanding school, added: “The children loved it.

“We’ve been coming here for six years now with our year six classes. The staff love it as well.

“It is an amazing opportunity to come and see Chinese culture.

“We found out about the centre from a flyer. We used to take groups to the Chinese Quarter in Birmingham, but they could only visit the shops. This is far more suitable for our needs.”