Artwork produced by schoolchildren in Melksham to help celebrate the town’s 30 years of twinning with a French town will be judged by the public.

Pupils from the Manor School, Seend Primary School, King’s Park Primary School and Forest and Sandridge Primary School have entered drawings and paintings along the theme of friendship, which are on display at the Arthouse café in Market Place.

The competition was organised by the town’s twinning association, which will be celebrating the anniversary of the twinning between Melksham and Avon.

Carole Mitchell, from the association, said: “The public will judge all the work that is on display in the Arthouse Café and then we will take the piece with the most votes, and maybe the second too, and make them into a publicity poster to use throughout the summer.

“I know Seend Primary School for instance have been learning French and are going to be writing messages and drawing pictures of themselves for us to take over to schools in Avon in April.

“I think there are several primary schools there and we will be looking for one of them to reciprocate and maybe send something back.”

Members of the Melksham twinning association will be visiting Avon in April, while in October Melksham residents will be welcoming a contingent from Avon.

The art competition was the brainchild of Sue Lamprell, a member of the twinning association.

Jacs Brady, art co-ordinator at the Manor School in Melksham, said Year 3 pupils got to work on their entries after the school received a letter from the association.

“We started off by talking about what it meant to make friends and what a friend was,” she said.

“We then spoke about the importance of making friends in other countries and thought about the things we wouldn’t have if we didn’t make friends abroad.”

Mrs Brady said some of the children used French words on their designs, which they had learned in school.

“After looking at all the pictures, pupils voted on their seven favourites, which are now on display.

The pictures will be on display in the café until Saturday, February 27, alongside forms giving people a chance to vote for their favourite.