As I light a candle in Sheffield Cathedral, I shall think of peace and tolerance - Jayne Dowle

We still feel the reverberations of the murder of three little girls and the attack on 10 others in Southport in August 2024. Sparking riots and fuelling resentment, this terrible event has been turned into brutal, divisive political capital.

The emergence this year of the true extremist history of killer Axel Rudakubana has been difficult to overlook; born in Cardiff, Wales, the son of two survivors of the Rwandan genocide granted asylum in the UK in 2003, Rudakubana had been referred three times to the UK government's Prevent anti-extremism programme due to concerns about his fixation on school massacres, jihadist attacks, and “incel-related” violence.

This was shocking, but for every Rudakubana, there are countless innocent young people growing up in Britain whose families came to this country seeking protection and a new start. We are in severe danger of forgetting that; as this strife-torn year ends, we should remember.

It is perhaps the vexed matter of illegal immigration which has caused the deepest rifts in our communities. Fervent protests erupted outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in Epping, Essex, at the arrest of 41-year-old Ethiopian Hadush Kebatu, who had sexually assaulted and harassed a 14-year-old girl and an adult woman.

That the chaotic prison system then allowed the erroneous release of Kebatu, who was being deported, from HMP Chelmsford in October, further compounded anger. This spread nationally when it became clear that other dangerous prisoners had been liberated by mistake. Government ministers failed to reassure.

A certain low point for me this year was the painting of a red St George cross on the mini-roundabout at the end of my road. I was thoroughly ashamed. I live in an area with its challenges, but this was an act of outright aggression. I wondered how local people had become like this.

Children, who may have arrived in the UK as frightened refugees from war-torn countries, had to walk past this mini-roundabout every day on their way to school. What questions must they have asked their parents?

How could their minds really focus on learning in the classroom when they knew that perhaps even the parents of their schoolmates were behind this stunt? I was relieved when the local council came and painted it over.

But the tattered remains of the ‘Operation Raise the Colours’ campaign remain fluttering on the cold December wind, a constant reminder that fear and suspicion hasn’t been overcome by a rush of Christmas spirit.

At the very least, we should feel safe on home ground, but too often what happens abroad has repercussions here. The ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which despite the claims of ‘peacemaker’ President Trump, still shows no sign of permanent resolution, has dominated 2025.

The Manchester synagogue attack in October, a horrific crime which shocked the multi-cultural neighbourhood of Crumpsall, the controversies over Palestine during the summer which dominated the Glastonbury music festival, the divisions that spilled over into violent protests on the streets.

A candle seems insignificant in comparison. But it is important, because all over the world, a light in the darkness reminds us that there is always hope.

We must carry on. Faith or no faith, the annual carol service in this majestic cathedral, which survived the Sheffield Blitz in 1940, reminds us of the power of resilience, and of people coming together in the face of adversity.

I’ve been going to this Christmas Eve service for four years now. I choose it not just because of the exquisite choral performances and the wonderful architecture, but because the Cathedral brings together a city of people.

This year, with social chasms deepening horrifically, fuelled by grandstanding politicians, fears and anxiety rife at home and threats from abroad, it’s more important than ever to recognise any force for good.