A PEACE Pole will be planted in the garden of a Worcester alternative therapy centre.

Inscribed with the words May Peace Prevail On Earth, the pole will be put in the ground at Healing Touch, in Bath Road.

Rita Davies, who founded the centre in 1995, has arranged the planting ceremony to coincide with its 10th anniversary, as part of an open weekend.

"We have turned a little courtyard into a garden, designed by Janet Bowkett with complementary healthcare in mind," she said.

"She has chosen plants which are used in homeopathy and aromatherapy."

Mrs Davies said the Peace Pole's message provide an appropriate centrepiece for the garden.

Thousands of such poles have been planted in more than 160 countries since the Peace Pole project was started in 1976 to promote the message of peace throughout the world.

During the Healing Touch open weekend on September 10 and 11, practitioners will be on hand to give information, advice and tasters of some of the 17 therapies on offer.

There will be talks by visiting speakers at 3pm each day.

Saturday's speaker will be Dr Clare Lincoln, taking a nutritional approach to female hormone imbalances. On Sunday, Dr Robert Lloyd will speak on rheumatoid and osteo-arthritis.