ON SUNDAY evening I joined a small but committed group of people on the Greenhills at Cockenzie for a short vigil to show ‘A Light For Aleppo’.

It was a simple idea, to light candles and fires around the Forth coast, to show that we care about what is happening in Syria, and the suffering people are enduring there. East Lothian responded to that call, with similar gatherings at Musselburgh, Longniddry, Gullane and North Berwick.

It was the coldest night of the year so far, but of course any discomfort was nothing compared to what is happening to the citizens in Aleppo. As we gathered, news came through that the last hospital in the rebel-held section of the city had been closed, deliberately targeted for bombing.

At Cockenzie, Courier columnist Tim Porteus spoke powerfully of how we all “live under one sky”.

Well done to the various organisations and individuals involved in organising these events (the Coastal Regeneration Alliance, in the case of Cockenzie).

It is easy to be cynical about this kind of initiative. What do a few people gathered in the cold actually do to help people in a war so far away? Well, I am often reminded of the origins of Oxfam, where I worked for 12 years, before entering elected politics.

The reach of Oxfam is remarkable, from the highest levels of government and the UN all the way to the most remote village in Africa or the Amazon. In places like Rwanda, Cambodia and Mozambique, I saw for myself how it finds a way to reach out even into the midst of conflict.

Yet Oxfam started with a handful of people round a desk in Oxford, with nothing but an exercise book for notes. They wanted to help people starving in Europe in the aftermath of the Second World War, millions displaced, whole countries devastated.

They believed, though, that if you care, you can make a difference no matter what you confront.

I think that is as true today as it was then.