At the start of the new year, the Rev Kate Bottley visits a stunning earth installation in Bristol Cathedral and meets Christians inspired by faith to care for the environment. The cathedral is hosting the Gaia artwork, a stunning representation of planet earth as seen from space, created by Luke Gerram to spread awareness of climate change. Canon Jonnie Parkin tells Kate what the cathedral is doing to help protect the planet and why faith inspires us to celebrate God’s green earth. To the south of city, the Bristol Steppin Sistas group head out to walk, sing and pray in the great outdoors. Founder Sophia Brown talks about why she was inspired to help women of colour to get out into nature.

Claire McCollum is in Edinburgh to meet Christians putting their faith into action in communities around the city. At the Bethany Christian Centre, Claire meets Dave Biddulph, whose own journey to faith and recovery from addiction led him to work at the very place that helped him 13 years ago. At the Edinburgh City Mission, Claire joins a group of newly settled asylum seekers for an art and craft class designed to create a sense of welcome for all and to help practise language skills. And Christian artist and retired teacher Peter Gray explains how his faith means more than just reading the Bible, as he works with a local charity to help make a house a home for people who’ve recently transitioned from living homeless.

To mark the start of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Sean Fletcher visits one of the largest gatherings of Christian church denominations in Europe. Organised by Churches Together in England, the conference brings together leaders from different church traditions, including Anglican, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal, Orthodox, and many more. Sean speaks to attendees to discover how this annual event, held since 1990, has fostered unity among Christians across England. As well as celebrating togetherness, the conference provides a forum for Christians to discuss their differences and work together to tackle the challenges of the day. The chair of Churches Together, Bishop Mike Royal, shares his personal story, and Sean meets Paulina Hlawiczka-Trotman, a Lutheran who left her homeland of Poland for the UK to pursue her calling to the priesthood. She paved the way for other women, becoming the first ever female Polish bishop of the Protestant Church. We also hear the inspiring story

Pam Rhodes is in Edinburgh to meet renowned singer and actress Barbara Dickson to find out about her journey of faith and the music that has shaped it. The pair meet at a folk bar Barbara knew well back in the 60s, when she moved to Edinburgh and was making a name for herself on the burgeoning folk scene. Barbara reflects on those exciting, early days in the city and finding her faith around the same time, when she was drawn to a local Catholic church. Barbara shares how her faith grew and how she had always felt like a Catholic, although she was baptised a Presbyterian. At St Mary’s Catholic Cathedral, she explains to Pam that when she was confirmed in the Catholic Church, it felt like coming home.

Ahead of World Cancer Day on 4 February, the Rev Kate Bottley meets Christians affected by cancer and explores how their faith sustains them. Kate meets minister and Britain’s Got Talent comedy star the Rev Allan Finnegan at his church in Netherton, Liverpool. Allan is living with a terminal cancer diagnosis, and he shares the comfort, hope and challenge that faith brings. In Lancashire, Kate joins a Christian cancer support group to learn how faith and friendship can be a huge help on the cancer journey. And we meet Professor Richard Gilbertson, a world-leading professor and committed Christian heading up a research mission to cure cancer.

Claire McCollum is in Belfast, discovering some of the hidden religious gems in the churches of her home city. With so much to see, Claire enlists the help of two local Christians who became friends when they trained to be official city tour guides together. Eileen is an Anglican and Christine is a Catholic, and throughout the tour, Claire finds out about the importance of faith to each of them. They begin by going through the keyhole at St Mark’s Church, where one of the world’s best-loved authors, CS Lewis, was baptised. They speculate whether an engraved lion head could have been the inspiration to the famous Christ-like character of Aslan from the Chronicles of Narnia books. Along the way, they journey through Belfast’s shipbuilding history, visiting an extraordinary maritime-themed church in what would have been the city’s Sailortown.

Aled Jones explores the joy of being in a choir and joins a packed congregation in Huddersfield Town Hall for some rousing hymns, led by the world-renowned Huddersfield Choral Society. In a quiet moment offstage, Aled chats with regular Songs of Praise conductor Ken Burton to explore what makes choral music so special, with singers of the Huddersfield Choral Society lending their voices to help demonstrate the dynamics. Aled then meets two members of the famous choir to hear about its rich history, which stretches back to 1836, and how, for many, their performances are an act of worship. The Huddersfield Choral Society also has thriving youth choirs, and Aled drops in on a rehearsal to meet choir leader Alison North and her daughter Madeline. Aled hears how choral music, and the friendship found in choirs, has helped them through the grief of losing Madeline’s brother Alexander. Then, back in Huddersfield Town Hall, Madeline sings a poignant rendition of Count Your Blessings.