Dundee school children forge friendship with children in twin city Alexandria, Virginia

Metta Ramsay from the Overgate centre with teacher Kayleigh Anderson and the letters

School children in Dundee have been connected with pen pals in twin city Alexandria, Virginia.

The initiative, launched last month by the Overgate Shopping Centre, saw 76 pupils aged between six and twelve years old from the city’s Ancrum Road Primary School, guided by teacher Kayleigh Anderson, reach out with letters of festive cheer to new pen pals at Charles Barrett Elementary School in the US.

The Overgate Air Mail campaign is part of Overgate’s DUNDEE’S 7 CITIES initiative which aims to strengthen ties between Dundee and its twin cities across the world.

The American children have now written back, with their letters put on display in the centre’s main windows for the public to view from outside when passing.

The letters from the Charles Barrett Elementary pupils make heart-warming reading and it is clear that, although they too are currently home schooling like their Dundonian pen pals, enthusiasm levels remain intact.

The letters are entertaining, refreshingly honest and frequently hilarious with a spectrum of topics covered including favourite Youtubers and gamers, the joy of snow and sledging, their most popular American foods and the challenge of Zoom school classes with annoying siblings nearby.

Ten-year-old Fenway, who is named after the famous baseball park in Boston, has visited Scotland and loves the Highland Games, but not haggis.

Nine-year-old Ganbold speaks four languages, informs there are thousands of candy flavours in the USA and loves swimming in lakes.

Connor knows his ancestry and shares that his grandfather is from Scotland and his grandmother is Chinese, a language he speaks fluently.

Grace, also nine, loves maths and art, wants to be the first woman on Mars and has a pet fish named Sunday.

Speaking about the new display, Metta Ramsay, Retail Marketing Manager, Overgate said: “Overgate Air Mail has generated fantastic engagement between the children here at Ancrum Road Primary in Dundee and Charles Barrett Elementary in Alexandria and the letters really are a joy to read.

“The pupils in both cities have embraced the opportunity to connect with great enthusiasm and we hope if people are passing Overgate they will enjoy reading them too.”