A POLE designed to encourage people to think about world peace has been erected outside a Dunbar church.

The St Anne’s Peace Pole was put in place in a bid to enable people of all faiths, or none, to offer a prayer or a thought for peace.

A dedication ceremony was held outside St Anne’s Episcopal Church, on Westgate, involving P7 pupils at Dunbar Primary School.

The Peace Pole Project began in Japan nearly 50 years ago as a response to the horrors of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Today, it is an internationally recognised symbol of hopes and dreams, with more than 250,000 poles across the world.

The Bishop of Edinburgh, the Right Rev John Armes, carried out the dedication service.