The Nutri Centre, the UK 's leading resource for complementary and alternative remedies and nutritional advice, today announced a new sponsorship of the BHMA Good Practice Awards: Healing Spaces. These awards recognise the importance of the built environment to enable holistic healthcare.

Entries will illustrate how the creative use of sound, light, colour, or new ways of using healthcare space can create surroundings that support personal and communal healing and wellbeing. Applicants are welcome from projects large and small, whether they have developed a radically innovative health centre or a beautiful treatment room . Examples might be a meditation or group-work space, a hospital garden, art room, exercise area or a health library. We would also like to see projects representing healthy workspaces and spaces for wellbeing in the community. Large scale projects could be selected to win the competition prize of £2000, small scale projects the £500 prize.

Entrants will be invited to participate in an audio-visual exhibition held on Friday 18 April 2008 at the University of Westminster , London when the winning entries will be selected and the awards made at the evening reception.

This exhibition forms part of the BHMA's Spring Conference celebrating 25 years of successfully promoting holistic healthcare. It will be held over the 18 th and 19 th April 2008 and begin by focusing on how the built environment can foster better healthcare. As well as the exhibition, there will be presentations by Dr David Reilly Director of Glasgow Homeopathic Hospital and Dr Sam Everington, the force behind the ground-breaking social renewal and healthcare project at Bromley by Bow. All entrants to the Good Practice Awards will receive free places for up to two delegates at both days of the conference.

Entrants' applications must be received by 31 st January 2008.
Download an entry form here

For more information about The Nutri Centre visit www.nutricentre.com .
For more information about the BHMA Good Practice Awards and to download entry forms visit www.bhma.org

Breast Cancer Haven, London – our first Haven, was opened in 2000 by our patron HRH The Prince of Wales.  It is housed in a former Welsh Presbyterian Chapel in the heart of Fulham, West London which was sensitively renovated to provide an uplifting and healing environment.  It comprises six therapy rooms, two group therapy rooms, a kitchen, library and offices.  Breast Cancer Haven supports the physical and emotional needs of anyone affected by breast cancer. Staffed by a specialist team, Havens are welcoming day centres offering free support, information and complementary therapies to meet these needs before, during and after

London Entrance – shows the front door – designed by the Prince of Wales's Institute of Architecture – opening into the reception area and leading through into the library and information area.  The ceramic Tree of Life on the back wall was also designed by the Prince of Wales's Institute of Architecture.

The Rose Room – Is one of the group therapy rooms of Breast Cancer Haven, London – the stunning stained glass window was designed by the Visual Islamic Traditional Arts Department of the Prince of Wales's Institute of Architecture and together with the curved ceiling provides a welcoming and tranquil environment.  The Rose Room is used for our Haven Introduction and a variety of groups, classes and workshops held on a regular basis eg: group auricular acupuncture, yoga, stretch & relax, art therapy, Qi Gong, lymphoedema awareness to name but a few. The Rose Window, designed by Simon Trethewey, combines both the planetary movements and the energy fields in the body represented by the petals in the centre of the window, both of which work together to aid spiritual healing.

The Bromley by Bow Centre is a radical approach to integrated health care, with nursery care, training opportunities and a community centre. It has been cited as a model for the future development of community services and healthcare. Bromley-by-Bow is one of the most deprived areas in the country in the UK , with multiple social problems. At the same time, there are great reserves of energy and ability in the local community. The Bromley by Bow Centre is a community organisation which runs a variety of projects in an integrated way -linking health with education and enterprise, for example, or environment with training and family support - to serve as a focus for that energy and ability and so to help regenerate the area. The Health Centre there is pioneering a new approach to healthcare, integrating GPs and other health professionals with community projects.