Children said "dobry den" - or "good day" - to a VIP guest.

Youngsters at Willow Tree day nursery, in Clacton, were visited by Rukiya Kurbonova, who is deputy prime minister of Tajikistan, a former Soviet republic.

Together with a delegation of other officials, Mrs Kurbonova was greeted by songs from the children, as well as hand-made crafts and a hamper of English foods.

The deputy prime minister is spending time at the children's legal centre at Essex University as part of a Unicef project to help reform practices in her country.

University staff have arranged for her to tour several education facilities to show her how things are done.

Willow Tree owner, Brenda Dearsley, said the day went very smoothly.

"We were all very excited about it," she said.

"All the staff put a lot of effort into making sure it went well.

"I don't think the visitors expected to get such a good reception, and they seemed very grateful for the efforts the children had gone to.

"We were very flattered to have been chosen for the visit."