SHARING the stories of our past, celebrating outstanding people and groups, and looking towards a brighter future.
Those are the themes that will be at the heart of St Helens’ Borough of Culture celebrations in 2023.
World of Glass launch event
An event at the World of Glass on Saturday, launched the celebratory year, with a host of community organisations joining dignitaries, politicians and a delegation from Stuttgart, the German city that St Helens is twinned with.
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The council said nearly 3,000 people turned out through the course of the day to sample the events.
Speaking at the event, council leader David Baines said “inspiring the the next generation is absolutely at the heart of what we want to do this year and beyond”.
'Let's celebrate out past and look to the future'
He told guests: “We’re going to use this year to celebrate our past, to promote the many outstanding people and groups here and now, and to look to what the future holds.
“Events will include a special Heritage Festival, Pride, Armed Forces Day, and an Irish Festival – with lots more to be announced in the weeks and months ahead.
“We want to tell our story. Stories like those about previous generations in our borough’s towns and villages who led the industrial revolution through ingenuity and backbreaking work in the railways, coal, glass and chemicals that built the modern world.
“Stories of human and sporting endeavour in our community clubs run by thousands of volunteers who change and improve lives on a daily basis, and sporting success from leading the way in women’s football nearly a hundred years ago to conquering the world in sports like rugby, darts, boxing and more today.”
A light will also be shone on the many artists, musicians, comedians, writers and creators that St Helens has produced over the decades, he added.
Although it doesn’t always sell itself as place that has produced a rich seam of creative talent, people such as Frank Cottrell Boyce, Johnny Vegas, Carley Stenson, Emma Rigby, Jude Riordan, Jacqui Abbott, George Groves, Sir Thomas Beecham, David Yates, Trisha Ashley, Carole Matthews and Rick Astley are just some of those from the borough who have made their mark on the big stage.
There will also be a focus on the borough’s history of industry and ingenuity.
Cllr Baines added: “[We’ll tell] stories of innovation from the one person small business start ups to the multinationals who call St Helens home, and who day in day out support growth in our region – including right now many who are at the forefront of the green industrial revolution.
“This and much, much more is our story.
“This is our culture. And it’s what we’ll be celebrating in 2023.”
This year marks the 75th anniversary of St Helens twinning with Stuttgart, a relationship that was forged in the aftermath of the Second World War when the town’s glass industry helped with the rebuilding of the German city.
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