National health professionals will join voluntary groups at a special health living conference in Blackburn next month.

The "Re-imagining Living Well" event will take place at the home of Blackburn Rovers, Ewood Park, on Thursday, March 9.

National experts and local health professionals will discuss what more they can do "to build healthy and health creating communities in Lancashire".

Keynote speakers will include former chief executive of NHS England, Lord Nigel Crisp, and James Newcome, the Bishop of Carlisle.

Keynote speaker Nigel Crisp in his book "Health is made at home: Hospitals are for Repairs" acknowledges that “churches, temples, synagogues and mosques play an enormous role in creating health".

He added: "There are literally thousands of faith groups offering support, giving guidance and providing funding for health activities for their congregations and the wider public.”

Mohammed Sidat, the chief executive of the Blackburn-based charity IMO, which is organising the event, said: “We are very pleased that Burnley GP Dr Yasara Naheed along with the chief executives of our local hospitals and the mental health trust will ‘tell us like it is’ as they grapple with the health problems of local people.”

The conference will be chaired by Michael Wedgeworth, who as well as being a non-executive director of East Lancs Hospitals Trust is involved with the Voluntary, Community and Faith Sector. 

He said: “We expect a big turnout of both professionals in health and care and many from voluntary bodies all asking  themselves what more we can do, even in these most difficult of times, to help local people to live well.”

Further details and bookings for the Re-imagining Living Well conference can be found here https://bit.ly/Re-Imagining2023 or by e-mailing support@imocharity.org