PATRIOTIC youngsters showcased all that is "Great" about Britain.

Children at Pikes Lane Primary School in Deane staged a special art exhibition and concert at the Market Place Shopping Centre in Bolton, celebrating "what it means to be British".

A choir made up of more than 50 pupils sang a selection of songs from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, including The Candyman and Pure Imagination, which were sung in the 1971 movie adaptation Willy Wonky.

They burst into song in front of a colourful backdrop of "British-themed art".

The artwork by the children was inspired by Great British icons and pupils worked with local artists to create paintings, textiles and sculptures.

Highlights of the gallery included enormous crocodiles, pop art portraits and illustrations, as well as a huge Gruffalo textile banner.

Pupils recreated work by famous British artists Quentin Blake, Anthony Gormley, L.S. Lowry and Cornelia Parker.

Head of creative arts, Alex Bradley, said: "The children were amazing.

"It can be scary to perform and sing in public but the pupils rose to the occasion and were fantastic.

"It brought lots of attention to the art work, to the school and importantly to the message behind the gallery and the pupils can be very proud of themselves after all their hard work."

Teacher Laura Witham added: "We do lots of work to promote pupils' understanding of what it means to be British and this is a way to engage our children in complex topics like ‘the monarchy’ and ‘democracy’ in a fun and engaging way."

Pikes Lane Primary is planning an art exhibition next year and other schools which would like to get involved should ring 01204 333633.