HERE are the nominees for the Accord Wills Community Impact award for the Pride of St Helens awards.

Ahead of tonight's ceremony, we are profiling all of the nominees shortlisted.

 

  • Wonderland Centre

St Helens Star: WonderlandWonderland (Image: Submitted)

Wonderland Community Centre is a multi-purpose space that offers support with mental health, guidance with official documents, as well as wellbeing activities and after-school kids clubs.

The community interest company, which also operates as a café, has housed countless community-centred initiatives in its town centre space. In addition to the aforementioned support, the team at Wonderland have offered food parcels for struggling families as well as free Christmas meals for those who would otherwise be spending the festivities alone.

Bringing together local organisations that have similar goals, the Wonderland team have linked up with local groups such as No Duff, a support network for ex-military and emergency service workers, and Ever-Evolving, an adult social day care provision for people with learning difficulties.

Essentially, the team look to bring the community together and provide a wide-ranging support network in one place. Stephen Baines, who runs Wonderland, said the idea for the centre came after struggling to find any local support for his own mental health.

While starting with an idea for a mental health support centre, Stephen said he saw a necessity during the pandemic to partner with local groups, expand the project, and tie up all their work together to offer everything in one place

 

  • Think Fast Academy

St Helens Star: Think FASTThink FAST (Image: Submitted)

TEN years in the making, the Think Fast Academy was formed by St Helens boxer Martin Murray to prevent young people with limited opportunities from getting involved in crime. Operating out of the Wildcard boxing gym in Parr, Martin Murray set up the Academy with his wife Gemma in 2020, making sure there is a productive outlet in the community.

Offering opportunities to young people, boxing is used as a tool to intervene in young people getting involved in crime and anti-social behaviour. Through a structured programme, the Think Fast team try to get young people to think about their actions, understand their emotions, and be educated on the consequences of crime.

While boxing is used as a means to release their frustration, the programme is not trying to create the next boxing star, but rather to “build good people”. By providing this extra layer of support, Martin explained that the majority of their pupils go on to report much better improvements in behaviour and attendance at school.

It is hoped that these improvements continue, and the Academy can act as a long-term project in preventing young people from getting involved in crime. Born and bred in St Helens, Martin said it was important that the Academy was set up here and he now plans to expand the project and reach as many young people as possible.

 

  • St Helens Rotary 

St Helens Star: Rotary St HelensRotary St Helens (Image: Submitted)

ST Helens Rotary Club has supported people in the town for 100 years. Last winter the rotary club collected 530 coats for the less fortunate and refugees, delivered projects to raise cancer awareness, support children’s reading, care homes and raise money for local charities.

The rotary club has established a Heritage Trail in St Helens, promoting the town and therefore increasing its people’s aspirations and wellbeing. The first of 12 plaques, each containing a QR code for people to scan, was launched at the ‘Hotties’ - a section of Sankey Canal, England’s first canal of the Industrial Revolution.

Others will feature Saints, the Gamble Building, Beecham Building, St Helens Town Hall, Central Station, Parish Church, Quaker Meeting House, Cannington Shaw, St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway and St Helens town centre. Once all twelve 12 plaques have been completed, other locations outside St Helens town centre will be explored, including churches, former mining sites and ward areas with rich heritage.

During the Covid vaccination programme, helpers were asked for advice on health and how to find food-banks etc and the rotary came up with a unique solution, a poster that contained QR codes which were linked to 18 local charities that offer support for a specified need.