CHIPPENHAM NEWS: CHILDREN in Chippenham welcomed in the Chinese New Year with red envelopes, a dragon dance and storytelling on Friday.

More than 40 youngsters at Leapfrog Day Nursery, in Bath Road, celebrated the year of the rooster and learned the origins of the Chinese New Year celebrations.

Youngsters handed out red envelopes as gifts, cooked and ate Chinese food and danced with a traditional oriental dragon they had built.

Tabitha Sharland, base room manager, said: "We try to look at all festivals and bring a multi-cultural experience to the children and show what's going in other children's lives in other parts of the world.

"We read the story from which the Chinese New Year originates where all the animals have a big race.

"The rat wins after cheating and unfortunately, although we teach them cheats never prosper, he does in the end."

Handmade models of all the animals in the Chinese New Year celebrations now take pride of place at the nursery entrance.