THE long awaited lighting up of Dream will take place on Tuesday night.

St Helens’ own iconic artwork will be cloaked in ambient light, which may be visible from miles around.

It represents the latest stage in a series of improvements at the site of the former Sutton Manor Colliery.

Future plans include a beam of light, which will radiate from the top of the head. There will also be moves to crop the surrounding trees so that visitors can see it more clearly.

Council figures show that approximately 24,000 people visited the site between February and May this year.

Gary Conley a former miner, who was instrumental in bringing Dream to St Helens said: “We are overjoyed about the lighting, but the fight goes on and we won’t rest until we have the beam and the trees are cut back.

“Dream will become a beacon at night time. You will even be able to see it flying back into Liverpool Airport.

“One of the main reasons we selected the artist Jaume Plensa was the use of beams of light in his art. After all part of its story is when we dream, we reach for the sky.”