Pele and Tutu due at statue

Archbishop Desmond Tutu and footballing legend Pele will be unveiling a statue of 1966 World Cup hero Gordon Banks during a series of religious events in the Lichfield Diocese next month.

The statue, which depicts Banks raising the Jules Rimet Trophy aloft, stands outside the Britannia Stadium, home of Stoke City where he played his domestic football.

Following the unveiling, on July 12, there will be a charity celebrity football match between a Gordon Banks Xl and a Pele Xl in the stadium when stars are expected to include Westlife’s Nicky Byrne and actor James Nesbitt.

The match is part of a ‘Banks of England-A celebration of Sport for Peace’ initiative.

Organisers invited Archbishop Tutu to take part in the ceremony to mark the 2010 World Cup finals being awarded to South Africa. The evening before, the Archbishop will attend a civic reception at Stoke Town Hall.

From the beginning of July teams from Churches in Malaysia, Canada, South Africa and Germany will be arriving in the diocese for two major religious events.

There will be a three-day Cross Talk conference being held at The Hayes Conference Centre, Swanwick, Derbyshire, on July 7,8 and 9 and the 10-yearly Lambeth Conference, which begins in Canterbury on July 16.

Another event takes place at the Trinity Church, Mount Street, Stafford, on July 12 when bishops together and lay and clergy delegates converge.