LEDBURY vicar, the Reverend Howard Mayell, says standing on the sidelines is not an option when it comes to standing up to evil in the world, in this time of "great instability".

Writing in the latest community newsletter for Much Marcle, Mr Mayell said: "This instability is coming closer and closer to our shores. What happens in Africa and Asia is as important to us as that which lies on our own doorstep.

"The danger that faces us is that we will not of course all agree on just how to go about this and we could well get in a proper muddle over it. However to use this as an excuse to do nothing would be a tragedy for when good people do nothing evil takes over and the world becomes a dark and awful place. Standing on the sidelines and letting others take the lead can result in such horrors that were seen in Europe in the nineteen thirties and forties."

He added: "Inevitably this will bring us into conflict with some people, for Christian values are not universally accepted and there will be those who will say that we should not ‘Interfere’ in the political arena.

"The principle that guides us is that of loving our neighbour: to do this well requires a just and moral constitution that is administered even handedly."