Dream turns 10 Page 4
Year of Environment Pages 6 - 7
Our Local Plan Pages 10 - 11 Spring 2019
We’re in that number! St Helens to host games at Rugby League World Cup 2021 Pages 16-17
1800773 St.Helens First Spring 2019.indd 1 21/02/2019 10:04 REGAL ENTERTAINMENTS PRESENT
EMMERDALE AND AS THE BROOKSIDE’S LINDA LUSARDI WICKED WITCH THE BRILLIANT THE LOVEABLE BBC THE VOICE’S THE WONDERFUL THE HILARIOUS THE BEAUTIFUL HARRY STEVE LUCY JAY REECE CHARLOTTE MOORE ARNOTT KANE LUSTED SIBBALD GALLAGHER AS THE TIN MAN AS THE LION AS GLINDA AS THE WIZARD AS THE SCARECROW AS DOROTHY
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PRODUCED AND DIRECTED BY CHANTELLE NOLAN WRITTEN BY SI FOSTER • CHOREOGRAPHED BY SARAH WALKER SAT 6 – MON 22 APRIL ‘19 BOX OFFICE: 01744 756 000 • STHELENSTHEATREROYAL.COM In person: St. Helens Theatre Royal, Corporation Street, St Helens WA10 1LQ /sthelenstheatreroyal @theatreroyalsth Price inclusive of a £1per seat transaction fee. On-line bookings subject to an additional 50p per seat on-line processing fee.
1800773 St.Helens First Spring 2019.indd 2 21/02/2019 10:04 REGAL ENTERTAINMENTS PRESENT Online: www.sthelens.gov.uk Via the app: Search ‘St.Helens Council’ Telephone: 01744 676789 in your app store to download our free, Minicom: 01744 671671 handy app, to contact us on the go.
EMMERDALE AND AS THE BROOKSIDE’S LINDA LUSARDI WICKED WITCH THE BRILLIANT THE LOVEABLE BBC THE VOICE’S THE WONDERFUL THE HILARIOUS THE BEAUTIFUL Welcome HARRY STEVE LUCY JAY REECE CHARLOTTE MOORE ARNOTT KANE LUSTED SIBBALD GALLAGHER AS THE TIN MAN AS THE LION AS GLINDA AS THE WIZARD AS THE SCARECROW AS DOROTHY New year, In 2019, St Helens The collapse of the dedicate 75 per cent of LEADER’S will also be the home UK’s privately owned our budget – continue COLUMN new season, to thousands of new High Streets mean to be protected. new starts. starts, as the jobs that private investment is we have been fostering needed and we are In this time of The same week that start coming online. always listening to budgetary pressures, Saints opened this St Helens has seen the residents’ feedback on we need to do all year’s Super League second highest jobs what they would like we can to make our season with a hard- growth in the North for the future. money go further. fought win over and that’s before major You can help us by Wigan, the borough new developments Inevitably, the interacting with us also secured three come on stream this Government failed to online wherever matches in the 2021 year. My Sustainable give us a new start over possible. We know Rugby League World Growth Commission funding local councils, that sometimes you Cup. This could bring will advise on how lopping a further £5 want to speak to us by an estimated £3.6 we can help local million support from phone or in person, but million boost to our residents fill this flow our base budget. effective and accessible local economy! A of new employment. online services – big step up from the With half of local where many of us are single match during the We’re committed to authority spending increasingly living previous tournament, new starts for our power now gone and our lives and doing we are working to town and district demand for children’s business – really do ensure this successful centres. You’ll see hard and adult social services help us to save money initiative will now evidence of that in rocketing, we face and you to save time! bring in new cash to St Helens Town Centre, further impossible develop the local clubs Rainhill, Haydock choices to ensure Whatever your new St.Helens Council Leader who are the grass roots and Earlestown in the vulnerable people – to start is this year, I hope Councillor Derek Long of this great sport. coming weeks. which we must already it is a successful one!
Share a story with us Got a story to share? Maybe you’ve had a good experience with one of our services, or you’ve been involved in a great community initiative. Maybe you captured a 12 14-15 fantastic photo or video in St Helens and just want to share it? We’re eager to hear from FEATURES Sponsored by you, and could include 4 Dream turns 10 your submissions in the 12 Rainhill Trials 190 magazine! Email us at mediateam@sthelens. 4 26 Living with diabetes gov.uk.
Advertising: Want to NEWS advertise with us? 20 8 Increased Email: mediateam@ plastics recycling PRODUCED AND DIRECTED BY CHANTELLE NOLAN sthelens.gov.uk 14-15 Building a WRITTEN BY SI FOSTER • CHOREOGRAPHED BY SARAH WALKER stronger economy St.Helens Council does not warrant or endorse products 20 Youth art exhibition or services contained in opens soon commercial advertisements 23 Fostering featured in this publication. SAT 6 – MON 22 APRIL ‘19 8 26-27 champion events BOX OFFICE: 01744 756 000 • STHELENSTHEATREROYAL.COM In person: St. Helens Theatre Royal, Corporation Street, St Helens WA10 1LQ /sthelenstheatreroyal @theatreroyalsth sthelenscouncil @sthelenscouncil Spring 2019 St Helens First Price inclusive of a £1per seat transaction fee. On-line bookings subject to an additional 50p per seat on-line processing fee. 53
1800773 St.Helens First Spring 2019.indd 3 21/02/2019 10:04 Head in the clouds Free guided tours as Dream turns 10 St Helens’ iconic award-winning Dream sculpture turns 10 years old this summer and to celebrate this milestone residents are invited to put on their walking shoes and book on to a free guided tour of the site. Led by Gary Conley (pictured) – a former miner who was influential in bringing Dream to the borough – you’ll discover what life was really like as a miner and learn all there is to know about the popular sculpture, which sits on the top of the former Sutton Manor Colliery and represents a young girl dreaming of a better future for both her and St Helens. A 10 year celebration event will be held at Dream on Friday 31 May. A range of other special charity and community-focused events are in the process of being planned to commemorate 10 years of Dream, which was unveiled to the public in June 2009 and has since been visited by over half a million people. Keep your eyes and ears open for event announcements as they are made over the coming months. In the meantime, relive the Channel 4 television series about the inception and creation of Dream on www.vimeo.com by searching ‘St Helens Dream’, and watch Gary reflect on the project by searching ‘Gary Conley Dream’. For more information about the tours, contact Gary Conley by emailing [email protected]
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1800773 St.Helens First Spring 2019.indd 4 21/02/2019 10:04 WINDLE ISLAND WORK NEARS COMPLETION Motorists will be pleased to know that work at • A new left turn deceleration lane from A580 westbound Windle Island will be finished by early spring. onto A570 southbound to reduce queue lengths and improve safety. The £7m investment to improve the oldest purpose designed intercity highway in the UK – which sees around 43,000 • Two dedicated right turn lanes from the A580 westbound vehicles use the junction each day – began in August 2018 (towards Liverpool) onto the A570 northbound (towards to increase junction capacity; improve pedestrian safety, Rainford). This will reduce queue lengths. smooth traffic flow – and provide better access in and out • A new 40 mph speed limit around the junction to of St Helens. improve safety. Works are progressing ahead of schedule and a completion Commenting on the scheme, St.Helens Council Leader date of April is anticipated. Derek Long said: “This investment will make Windle Improvements include: Island junction safer and easier for the tens of thousands of motorists, cyclists and pedestrians that use this junction • A new four lane southbound approach to Windle Island every day. junction, providing a dedicated left turning lane to A580 eastbound towards Manchester and a dedicated right “The changes will improve residents’ journeys and ensure turning lane to A580 westbound towards Liverpool. there is capacity for the borough to grow by creating better traffic flow along the East Lancs.” • The reintroduction of two lanes southbound through the junction, with the left hand lane for St Helens Town Over half of the Windle Island junction improvement Centre via Rainford Road (including Tesco and Starbucks scheme has been funded by the Local Growth Fund through access), and the right hand lane for Eccleston and Prescot the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority’s Single via Bleak Hill Road. Investment Fund to address key issues in St Helens, and to support economic growth in the wider City Region.
Your Council Tax contribution As St Helens First went to print, a decision was set When you pay your Council Tax you are supporting all to be made to increase Council Tax by 2.99 per cent of these services, not simply paying for a direct service – such as waste collection – like you might at a restaurant from April for the year 2019/20. or hairdressers. The rise had been agreed in principle at a cabinet meeting Increasingly, as budget cuts bite, almost all of the funds in January, to support the delivery of over 1,000 vital and available go to the services we must legally provide. valued services that the council provides, such as social So while social care might not be something you currently care for vulnerable people, and support for children and access, one day you or a family member may need support, the elderly. or a child in your street may need protection. Your Council It also helps to fund waste and recycling, street cleaning, Tax is what allows us to help local people every day, parks and so much more. in over 1,000 ways.
sthelenscouncil @sthelenscouncil Spring 2019 St Helens First 5
1800773 St.Helens First Spring 2019.indd 5 21/02/2019 10:04 Events planned for Year of Environment With 2019 marking the Liverpool City Region’s ‘Year of Environment’ St.Helens Council has unveiled a year-long calendar of events centred on promoting open spaces and making the borough a greener place.
The ‘Year of Environment’ initiative is the City The council will also take measures to minimise Region’s contribution to the national Year of the amount of waste going to landfill by encouraging Green Action, which aims to raise awareness of more recycling – and addressing global issues such environmental issues that demand action and as single use plastic by eliminating its use across attention, including air quality, waste and recycling the council. levels, and the need to shift towards more sustainable use of energy. The project began in January and will run right through to December, with activities designed to be To show its backing, St.Helens Council will take steps educational while emphasising the importance of to achieve several targets which include encouraging living a healthy and active lifestyle. From fascinating adults and children to participate in community bird and bat walks, to wildflower sowing and tree environmental initiatives, and promote the benefits planting, there’s something for everyone! of the borough’s parks and public spaces, through a number of events for residents, schools and community groups.
6 St Helens First Spring 2019 www.sthelens.gov.uk
1800773 St.Helens First Spring 2019.indd 6 21/02/2019 10:05 Encouraging residents to get involved in Year of As well as the events and activities taking place Environment events, St.Helens Council’s Cabinet throughout the year St.Helens Council, as part of Member for Better Neighbourhoods, Councillor Lynn Year of Environment, is asking residents to pledge Clarke, said: “The council is fully committed to this to do something or change their lifestyle in a way initiative which is a great opportunity for members of that would benefit the environment. This could be the public to get out into our beautiful parks and open using the car less, increasing recycling, using local spaces to take part in effective projects that will help parks more or planting a tree in their garden. improve our surroundings. To make a pledge visit www.yoe2019lcr.org.uk
“The ultimate aim of the Year of Environment is to For more information, including the leave a better environment for the next generation complete calendar of events, visit to inherit and make our region one of the best places www.sthelens.gov.uk/yearofenvironment in the country to live, work and flourish – so it would be great to see strong community engagement as we look to achieve this.”
UPCOMING YEAR OF ENVIRONMENT EVENTS
MAY JUNE Sutton Park Fun Day Butterfly Survey Saturday 11 May – 12:00pm to 5:00pm Tuesday 4 June – 1:00pm to 3:00pm Sutton Park Victoria Park Willow Park Craft and Nature Day World Environment Day Monday 27 May – 12:00pm to 5:00pm Wednesday 5 June – 11:00am to 3:00pm Willow Park, Newton-le-Willows Taylor Park
Pond Dipping Saturday 8 June – 1:00pm to 2:30pm Sankey Valley Visitors Centre Ruskin Sports Festival 29-30 June – 9:00am to 5:30pm Ruskin Drive Sports Village
Cllr Clarke and council ocers at the Liverpool City Region Year of Environment launch.
sthelenscouncil @sthelenscouncil Spring 2019 St Helens First 7
1800773 St.Helens First Spring 2019.indd 7 21/02/2019 10:05 Increased plastics recycling for St Helens residents
St Helens residents are now able away, the council has been working to recycle even more plastics, on extending the current service to thanks to an agreement between meet residents’ requests for more St.Helens Council and waste plastic recycling. management company Biffa. Councillor Lynn Clarke, Cabinet Member for Better The ground-breaking agreement Neighbourhoods said at the which launched in January means launch: “We are delighted to St Helens is leading the way in launch this new plastic recycling Merseyside in recycling more initiative. Residents have told plastic than ever before. us that they want to recycle The pink bag collection now more plastics, to be more includes common plastic items environmentally friendly and like yoghurt pots, butter and to avoid waste going to landfill. margarine tubs and plastic food “We can now announce that trays, where previously it only we are able to collect more allowed for plastic bottles. plastic items for recycling, Council Leader Derek Long, Cllr Clarke and With the Government deadline to which hopefully will help every Paul Sanderson, Strategic Director of Place Services, recycle more than 50 per cent of household in the borough to with Bia representatives. household waste less than a year recycle more.”
Collected EVERY week: The Black Box The Pink Bag The Blue Bag The Kerbside Caddy
FOOD FOR THOUGHT We’re rather unique in St Helens in that we collect our food waste separately from other household waste and recycling.
This is great for a few reasons. It allows our food waste to be easily recycled, producing fertiliser for farming and even generating electricity at a special processing plant in Cannock! Recycling food waste also keeps it from landfill, where it would rot and release methane – a harmful greenhouse gas that is 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Last year, local people recycled over 3,000 tonnes of food waste, but we can do more! Thank you for helping us to protect the environment every week. Have you got the right equipment? You’ll need a kitchen caddy, a food recycling bin and a roll of caddy liners. If you don’t have any of these, please contact us online at www.sthelens.gov.uk/recycling or call 01744 676789.
1800773 St.Helens First Spring 2019.indd 8 21/02/2019 10:05 sthelens.ac.uk/applynow /UniCentreSH