In an interview with the Mirror Online, club chairman Eamonn McManus has said his 'neglected' town of St.Helens will be transformed within a decade.
Our Chairman says he believes the Merseyside town “will be a very different place” in years to come.
Mirror Online visited St Helens for our Town 2020 series with figures showing it has the highest rate of suicide in the country.
Locals said they felt the town was “neglected” and there is “a sense of decline”.
This is in stark contrast to the town’s famous team, the Saints. We currently lead the Super League by a record number of points and have a team packed with some of the country’s top players.
McManus was instrumental in helping the club move into our brand new 18,000-capacity state-of-the-art Totally Wicked Stadium close to the town centre in 2012.
But the team’s success on-and-off the pitch has not been mirrored across the wider town.
Despite this, McManus, who was born and bred in St Helens, says he is confident it “will be a very different place” with a focus on new industries, redevelopment of the high street and efforts to remove the stigma surrounding mental health.
Click here to read the interview and story with the Mirror in full.