A FIRST-class performance by Padiham youngsters at Burnley’s newly-revamped railway station was just the ticket before they travel out to Germany and the Netherlands.

Pupils from Padiham Green Primary impressed an international audience at the soon-to-be-opened Burnley Manchester Road station with their knowledge of their local train network.

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And then classmates from the St Anne’s Street school gave presentations on their new-found friends from France, Germany, the Netherlands and Devon and Cornwall, as part of a Citizen Rail initiative.

Next month a 38-strong contingent from Year 5 at Padiham Green will be travelling to the town of Aachen, to spend a day in a German classroom, to forge new friendships.

Their outing will also include a train trip from Aachen to another partner area, Heerlan.

After watching the pupils perform, Uwe Müller from Aachen said: “I was very impressed by what they had learned about Aachen.”

And Erwan Terrillon, from Pays de la Loire, added: “I was impressed by the quality of work that the children produced. I also very much enjoyed their words in French!”

The pupils worked with Community Rail Lancashire on the initiative, which also saw them produce artwork for the new station’s community room.

Janet Ennis, Padiham Green’s deputy headteacher, said: “This project is about expanding the learning horizons of the pupils, many of whom will be travelling abroad for the first time. The children are very proud to represent their school and also appreciate the task of becoming ambassadors for their town, county and country.”