PLANS for the Church Times Green Health Live conference are being finalised.

The day conference will be held at Lambeth Palace on Tuesday 2 October. It will be chaired by the Bishop of Carlisle, the Rt Revd James Newcome, who is the Church of England’s lead bishop on health. Confirmed speakers include the Royal Horticultural Society’s director of science and collections, Dr Alistair Griffiths; and Professor Jim McManus, president of the Guild of Health and St Raphael, co-sponsors of the event, with the Conservation Foundation. Professor McManus is also director of public health for Hertfordshire County Council.

Full details will be released next week. Those who take a professional or informed interest in health and the benefits of gardening and the environment are encouraged to save the date.

The Church Times Green Health Awards will also be given, during the conference, to churches and Christian organisations who use their green spaces for the healing of people in the community. Nominations are still open: the judges have this week extended the deadline for entries to 15 August.

The awards are also supported by the Mercers’ Company and the Allchurches Trust. The top prize is £2000. There are other cash prizes, as well as gifts of gardening tools. The Glovers’ Company has donated sets of gardening gloves for all prizewinners.