Star News
Eamonn McManus and Armed Forces head St Helens Council local 'honours list'
12:30pm Wednesday 22nd February 2012
EAMONN McManus and our Armed Forces past and present head a list of widely admired leaders and organisations who are to be granted the Freedom of the Borough, the Star can reveal.
The Saints chairman, the driving force behind the rugby league club’s new £30m stadium, is being rewarded for services to sport in the town as St Helens Council adds to its roll of honour for the first time in 11 years.
In a bold step, town hall chiefs will also extend the honour to all serviceman and woman past and present.
Also earning the accolade is Kirsty Pilkington, who is recognised for work in the voluntary sector, and the charity Willowbrook Hospice.
St Helens Council says it is rewarding those who have helped shape the town, improve the quality of life for its residents and change things for the better.
Confirming the decision to honour Armed Forces personnel, the leader of St Helens Council, Marie Rimmer: “We realise this is a major departure from the norm, but we couldn’t think of a better way of acknowledging the enormous debt owed to those who put their lives on the line for the country.”
Town hall bosses say it is the “highest honour the borough can bestow” and the recipients will be celebrated at a special council meeting on Wednesday, February 29 before a formal presentation later in the year.
Others on the roll of honour are recognised for their work in regenerating St Helens.
Bill Ainscough, chair of Langtree Group plc, the developer which led the transformation of the former United Glass site where Saints stadium and the new Tesco supermarket now stands, is recognised for services to the local economy.
Chris Baybutt and his brother David, men who helped regenerate the area where the Ravenhead Retail Park was created, are rewarded for services to the economy and environment.
Willowbrook Hospice, meanwhile, becomes only the second organisation to gain the accolade – after the honour was granted to the Saints team in 2001.
The hospice is a charity that has cared for more than 5,000 patients since it opened in 1997.
The community efforts of Kirsty Pilkington, widow of former Pilkington plc chairman Sir Antony Pilkington, are being saluted.
Awarded the MBE in 2010, she is involved with many local charities and organisations, including Willowbrook Hospice, where she is chairman of trustees.
Jean Mulford, chair of Halton and St Helens Voluntary and Community Action, earns recognition for her unsung efforts in the town.
The Mayor of St Helens, Councillor Tom Hargreaves said: “This is the highest honour that a borough can bestow on its citizens – and recognises the exceptional contribution that these individuals have made to our lives.”
After the passing of the council resolution, a newly admitted Freeman takes the appropriate Freeman's Oath and signs the Freeman's Roll - witnessed by the mayor of St Helens and local authority chief executive.
A sealed and illuminated certificate of the grant of the Honorary Freedom, incorporating a copy of the formal resolution, is then presented to the newly appointed Honorary Freeman.
They will be added to a roll of honour that dates back to 1896 when town benefactor David Gamble was made the first Freeman.
Other iconic names on the list include Saints great Alex Murphy and Sister Kathleen Duffy, the legendary nurse who worked at Providence Hospital.