Britain's FTSE lifted by gains in mining stocks

* FTSE moves further away from July 7 six-month low

* Miners boosted by stabilisation in China stock market

* Glimmers of hope that Greece may get new debt deal

By Sudip Kar-Gupta

LONDON, July 9 (Reuters) - Britain's top equity index moved further away from this week's six-month lows on Thursday on the back of gains in mining stocks.

The blue-chip FTSE 100 rose 0.6 percent to 6,532.18 points. The index is down about 1 percent since the start of 2015 and 8 percent below a record high of 7,122.74 points reached in April. Concerns over Greece and China have hit stock markets worldwide in the past few sessions and dented the FTSE.

Lifting the market, mining stocks made some of the strongest sectoral gains, with Rio Tinto (LSE: RIO.L - news) rising 2.1 percent.

Miners are particularly sensitive to the economy of China, the world's biggest metals consumer, and the sector was buoyed by a respite in China's stock market sell-off after measures were announced to support the stability of capital markets.

"I have picked up a few miners as value plays after their earlier sell-off," Beaufort Securities' sales trader Basil Petrides said.

Smith & Nephew (LSE: SN.L - news) rose 2.2 percent after Berenberg upgraded the medical equipment maker to "buy" from "hold".

Glimmers of hope that Greece might reach a new debt deal with its creditors also lifted the FTSE.

Greek voters on Sunday rejected austerity measures imposed on the country as part of a bailout but the Athens government has since embarked on new talks to try and secure more debt.

Nevertheless, some traders said the upturn in prices would trigger profit-taking due to lingering uncertainty over Greece.

"I'm not convinced that the volatility we've seen in the markets has finished," Petrides said. (Editing by Louise Ireland)