TRACY-ANN CARMICHAEL

to getting a letter from Christina and getting to know what was going on in her life.”

The 10-year-old added: “I was so excited about meeting her that I did star jumps when I saw her for the first time. I’m sure we’ll see each other again.”

Her nine-year-old correspondent Christina, also from Paisley, said: “The best thing about having a pen pal is that I made a new friend and being able to tell them about the things I like to do. It was good that I could find out what Gabriella likes to do as well.

“When we met, we just started talking like we were old friends and we’ll keep on writing to each other.”

Paisley’s Jamelia Moore, aged 11, also joined the scheme, becoming the pen pal of Sophia Barr, from Elderslie.

Jamelia told of her experience, saying: “I loved getting Sophia’s letters because when you start having a pen pal, you don’t really know anything about the person you’re writing to.

“I’d write and tell Sophia about my family and my friends and she did the same about hers.

“We’re going to speak to our parents and ask them to arrange for us to meet up again.”

Sophia, aged 11, added: “It’s good to find out what’s going on in other people’s lives and having a new friend.

“I wrote and told Jamelia about my pet guinea pigs and that I like to go ice skating. It was also good that I was able to practice my writing skills.”

Jamelia’s mum, Rebecca, also backed the scheme, saying: “The Pen Pals Project has been really good for Jamelia as her confidence has grown and she has learned about different cultures.”

Regine Bews, founder and project co-ordinator at the School of African Cultures, said: “The children were quite excited and looking forward to meeting their pen pals.

“We encouraged the children to use pen and paper instead of an email or text when they were writing, as it’s a bit more special to get a letter through the post. There’s more of a personal connection when you actually sit down with a piece of paper and write a letter.”

The pen pals met up for a special event at Paisley’s Mossvale Community Church, which also saw them take part in a sewing workshop with local group, Sewing2gether All Nations, which saw each of them make a pencil case.

Representatives of the Scottish Government also presented the youngsters with a special book featuring the letters the children had written, along with drawings and photographs they had sent each other.

Copies of the work will also be on display in Renfrewshire’s libraries.

The Pen Pals Project is one of a series of initiatives across Renfrewshire to strengthen cultural connections across all communities.

It was supported by Renfrewshire Council’s Future Paisley initiative, with the New Scots Refugee Integration Delivery Project, which is led by the Scottish Government in partnership with COSLA, Scottish Refugee Council and the UNESCO Chair at the University of Glasgow and partfunded by the European Union Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund, making management of migration flows more efficient across the European Union.

Rikki Payne, arts manager at OneRen, said: “Modern Renfrewshire is a rich tapestry of diverse communities, all of which we should celebrate. It’s important that we build connections between them all.”