Whit walk celebrates first anniversary of Dream

25th May 2010

The first anniversary of the launch of Dream, the dramatic sculpture for St.Helens and the Northwest, will be celebrated with a spectacular event on Sunday 30 May that involves hundreds of people from the local community and visitors from across the region.

A traditional Whit Walk organised by the Shining Lights Heritage Group, St.Helens has been planned complete with May Queen and her entourage, choir, ex-miners and their families and a dance performance inspired by Dream. At 12.30pm the assembled pageant will proceed to the summit of the hill to celebrate the first anniversary of Dream at 12.45pm and will be followed by a community gala day.

The award-winning work has attracted significant national and international attention and it is estimated that hundreds of thousands of people have already seen the sculpture. The impressive 20 metre-high sculpture, by internationally renowned artist Jaume Plensa, is situated on the site of the former Sutton Manor Colliery in St.Helens, midway between Liverpool and Manchester.

Marian White from Shining Lights Heritage Group said: "This day is a celebration of all our traditions from the past such as the Whit Walk procession, crowning of the May Queen and the way in which Dream also symbolises our hopes and aspirations for the future. We would welcome all ex-miners and their families to attend the event and enjoy this historic and enjoyable occasion”.

Dream was commissioned by local ex-miners and St.Helens Council as part of Channel 4's Big Art Project, an ambitious public art commissioning initiative supported/funded by Arts Council England, the national development agency for the arts, and The Art Fund, the UK's leading independent art charity.

Whit Walk schedule:

12.30pm Parade begins at Colliery gates at Jubits Lane. Procession will march up to Dream
12.50pm Dance performances from Watch This Space and Rainhill High School, choral performance from Sutton Manor Primary School and the crowning of the May Queen by the Mayor Councillor Neil Taylor.
1.15pm Speech by Councillor Barrie Grunewald (Cabinet Member for Culture, Communications and Town Centre)
1.30pm Parade moves down to the colliery gates
From 1.30pm – 4.00pm – Family entertainment including cheerleaders Pink Poison, Morris Dancers and Children’s Fancy Dress Parade.

Free public parking is available at King George V Playing Field (Jubits Lane) and Chester Lane Centre . For more information telephone 01744 755150 or visit www.dreamsthelens.com

Please note that due to the gradient of the path, the summit of Sutton Manor has never been easily accessible to wheelchair users. 

Options to improve disabled access to the site are currently being considered by the Council and the Forestry Commission.