A CANDLE has been flown from Bethlehem to a Middlesbrough hospital where it will burn over the festive period as a symbol of peace.
Patients, staff and wellwishers can visit the Chapel of the Good Samaritan at The James Cook University where the light will burn until the Epiphany.
Organised by the Scout movement, the annual journey of the peace light begins in Bethlehem in the cave beneath the Church of the Nativity, the birthplace of Jesus.
The light is taken by a Palestinian child and handed to an Israeli scout at the border where it is then flown to Vienna and then distributed to all European countries and further afield.
Scout leader Arthur Woof from the 4th South Bank Scout Group from Middlesbrough will receive the candle at Darlington Railway Station and give it to the hospital.
Malcolm Masterman, The South Tees NHS Trust’s lead chaplain, said: "The aim of distributing and receiving the light is to bring peace and friendship throughout the world.
"This has become a tradition for us and I am always delighted to receive the light at the hospital."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here