AN annual exhibition featuring nativity sets from around the world is due to go on display at a church.

A World of Nativity Exhibition 2024 opens at St Mary's Church in Hanley Castle later this month, displaying a wide range of nativity sets from countries across the globe.

This annual exhibition features over 300 nativities from nearly 100 countries and makes 'the perfect start to the season of Advent', says the organiser.

EXHIBITION: St Mary's Church, Hanley Castle is host to A World of Nativity Exhibition 2024EXHIBITION: St Mary's Church, Hanley Castle is host to A World of Nativity Exhibition 2024 (Image: James Connell/Newsquest photos)

The exhibition runs between Saturday, November 30 and Sunday, December 8.

The exhibition is open daily between 2pm and 5pm. It will also include green Christmas ideas for 'an eco-friendly, sustainable Christmas'.

COLOURFUL: One of the nativity sets from last year's A World of Nativity Exhibition in Hanley CastleCOLOURFUL: One of the nativity sets from last year's A World of Nativity Exhibition in Hanley Castle (Image: James Connell/Newsquest photos)

Items on display illustrate the Christmas story in wood, metal, paper, felt, wool, fabric, and clay.

Some are carved from tropical nuts, formed from recycled bullets and spark plugs or folded from old magazines.

The Holy Family appear in the likeness of the people who made them, the attendant animals are indigenous to their area, and many of the craftspeople who create them rely on their work being Fair Trade.