ENGINEERS are busy putting the finishing touches to work so that local Mormons can see one of their church's main events live from the USA.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Days Saints, based in Salt Lake City, Utah, holds its General conference at the weekend.

Local members will gather at the Preston Temple in Chorley for live satellite coverage of the event.

The conference, which has been held twice yearly for the past 171 years, is conducted in four two-hourly sessions over two days.

Where time differences permit, the sessions are received live, otherwise they are recorded overnight and shown the next morning.

Sessions are also received at six other local chapels throughout the county.

Marie Hunt, of the Preston Temple, said around 1,500 members throughout Lancashire would watch the coverage.

"It comes over by satellite and we are going to sit in there like an ordinary church meeting."

She said in Chorley she expected there to be between 400 and 500 viewers at each session."

General conference has traditionally been held in the Tabernacle at Salt Lake City, the home of the renowned Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

However, to accommodate the growing number of members wishing to attend, the church has completed a new 22,000-seater conference centre just across the street and the choir will continue to perform at the new venue.

Church President Gordon B Hinckley will take the opportunity to talk to the 11 million church members throughout the world.

He was last in Chorley in 1998 for the dedication of the Preston Temple.

General conference sessions are held at the stake centre, Temple Way, Chorley, from 10am-2pm and 5pm-7pm on both Saturday, March 31, and Sunday, April 1.

The temple will close on Saturday to allow members to attend. All sessions are open to the public.

All sessions can also be viewed on the church's website at www.lds.org