Pat Sanderson, Alex Sanderson and Ben Foden?
(RU Players)
And, FYI, Tweddle is South African.
Tommy ????? Man Utd full back and later led St Helens Town to FA Vase. Sad to say can't remember his surname. Will be about 60ish now.
Tommy O'Neill ?
I think that's right, his daughter was in my year at school. Seem to remember her bringing the vase in for assembly
Beechams was taken over by Smithkline and then both were swallowed up by Glaxo. Beechams as a brand however still exists so as far as I'm concerned there is still a link with the town. As for Pilks they still very much exist it's just that with modernisation things aint what they used to be. My point is that St Helens is pretty unique in being the home town of 2 of the UK's biggest companies. TBH 15 years is not that long ago really in the overall scheme of things.
Yes, and lives in Bunbury, not Chester. Did go to queens school though. A bit like the singer, Duffy. She went to Chester Uni when it was a college and worked for a bit in Alexander's Jazz Bar, so Chester papers and council etc claimed her. Born and bred in North West Wales! There are some good am boxers in the Saltney boxing club though. I believe they do well in national comps.
Am I a glass half full type of person? Yes ! But every now and then, some bugger knocks my drink over!
"If you are an alien, then how comes you sound like you're from the North?"
"Lots of planets have a North !"
Both Billy Benyon and John Walsh could have been professional footballers. Keith Van Vollenhoven, Voll's eldest son of course, was born in St Helens and became a world class 400 metre hurdler.
Am I a glass half full type of person? Yes ! But every now and then, some bugger knocks my drink over!
"If you are an alien, then how comes you sound like you're from the North?"
"Lots of planets have a North !"
all very romantic and all that but the fact still remains that Beechams make nothing in this town and Pilks make almost nothing in this town. 2 Years ago Pilks had 3 float lines running and it is now one.
To me, that isnt something to be proud of, both companies have sold the town down the river.
I was talking to the MD of pound bakery, he is very impressed with business in St Helens, flying off the shelves he told me. Life in the old town yet.
I take your point but isn't 1 floatline instead of 3 something to do with the recession? Whatever the situation is now, and I'm the first to admit that St Helens (like many other towns I could name) is suffering badly, but I am and forever will be proud of the town's industrial heritage and what companies like Pilks have achieved with the help of the town's workforce. I certainly don't believe they have sold the town down the river more like have had to move with the times and market forces. But hey, it's just my opinion.
According to a friend of mine whose husband still works in management at Pilks, the float lines reflect the need for glass based on the housebuilding market. However, while only one float glass line is presently operational,they did expand their manufacturing base in St Helens a couple of years back. That work is still ongoing.
Obviously, Pilks isn't the presence it once was, not by any stretch of the imagination. It's even withdrawn its funding from the glass museum. But it is still holding on here, just about.
Well, and this applies equally to Liverpool as well! Merseyside as a concept threw St Helens into a place it will struggle to extract itself from, I do feel industry Beechams especially was encouraged to move to Brentford and well the coal mines will always be a debate.
Add into the mix a council so complacent we have a 71 year old going to Westminster, a council leader who loves pound bakery, but hey they cant take Robes, Wello, and by default Wilkin away from us. Top sportsmen from a badly let down town.
Am I a glass half full type of person? Yes ! But every now and then, some bugger knocks my drink over!
"If you are an alien, then how comes you sound like you're from the North?"
"Lots of planets have a North !"
I guess as you say, it depends on how you look at it.
The recession started in 08 yet Pilks initially increased their manufacturing in st Helens in approx 2011 before shutting acouple of lines down. The recession was (or is that is !!!) a global one, yet Pilks still manufacture strongly in India, Chine and (im pretty sure) Poland, all of which are a part of the recession.
Now some may call that market forces, moving with the times, while others would call it $h1tting on the local workforce who at the end of the day made Pilks the world class glass maker.
Half the Wigginers were probably born at Billinge
On the Back foot looking for the front one.
I think George Formby is buried in Warrington.
And the other half share the same DNA.