BBC Radio 4's 'Any Questions' is coming to Hereford tomorrow, Friday, July 13, at The Courtyard.

Herefordians claimed all the tickets in a record three weeks while many more plan to listen to the live broadcast on air.

Green Gate, Herefordshire's grass-roots sustainability network, is hosting the broadcast to launch their National Conference on Sustainability to be held in the city at the end of August.

Titled 'Soil, Soul, Society', the event will address the questions that more and more people are asking - 'How can I make sure my family eats safe, healthy food?', 'How can we protect our environment so we have clean air and water?', 'How can we be part of a lively local community and strong local economy, with varied job opportunities and optimism about the future?', 'How can I ensure the best possible future for my children?'

The organisers, Green Gate and Partnership for Sustainable Herefordshire, are bringing together qualified professionals from business, media, law, science, health and government to pool their expertise and find positive solutions.

Satish Kumar, editor of Resurgence Magazine, will discuss how creativity and aesthetics are essential in developing any new ideas, while economist Richard Douthwaite reveals the inside story of what is really happening to our money.

Sara Parkin, a consultant with Jonathan Porritt, will describe the kind of expertise she will be sharing with Herefordshire Council and one of the city's largest and most progressive businesses.

Three days of talks, workshops and discussions with these and other leading experts at the cutting edge of new ideas are complemented by local speakers, showing how these principles can be applied in local initiatives.

Liz Griffin, editor of The Hereford Times, will be joined by Richard Tyler of the Nature Trust and Andrew Mottram of All Saints in the centre of Hereford. Peter Savidge will outline new plans for Project Carrot at Holme Lacy College.

Poetry, art and music contribute to the process of joined-up thinking, which acknowledges that adaptability and creativity draw as much on art as science.

Elaine Brook, co-ordinator for PSH said: "events need to be fun as well as informative, so the programme includes a concert on Friday and free choice of creative workshops on Saturday evening, as well as opportunities for networking, meeting new people and linking up with new ideas and initiatives."

Reducing food miles

'Soil, Soul, Society' aims to practise what it preaches, so to reduce food miles the hotel has sourced local organic fresh food from within a 20-mile radius.

The event also aims to be carbon neutral by providing a number of trees for The Riverside Millennium Green project in Leominster; a community orchard, garden and wetland area, with standing stones and disabled access.

Although the programme is glossy and stylish, it is printed on recycled paper using vegetable-based non-toxic inks.

The 'Soil, Soul, Society' group hopes that this event will serve as a model for future events. For a programme or to book: contact Phil Sutton on 0845 458 9554 (local rate) or write to 3 Box Grove, Hereford HR2 7YF.