VISITORS from all over the region took the chance yesterday for a peek at one of its hidden gems.

Members of Greatham in Bloom and the village's Hospital of God, near Hartlepool, joined forces to give visitors the chance to see the thousands of snowdrops which line the hospital's fields and woodland.

Dorothy Clark, chairwoman of Greatham in Bloom, said: "It is the most magnificent sight you will ever see. It is absolutely beautiful.

"People come from as far away as York and Durham to have a look.