Growing support to bring back former town motto 'Ex Terra Lucem' (From St Helens Star)

Growing support to bring back former St Helens motto 'Ex Terra Lucem'

12:00pm Wednesday 22nd August 2012 in News By Stephen Mather, Senior reporter

INSPIRED by the stunning success of the Olympics opening ceremony and its links to St Helens, there is a growing band of people calling for the town to go back to its old ‘dynamic’ motto.

Speaking to the Star, Frank Cottrell Boyce from Rainhill, screenwriter for the phenomenal ceremony, which attracted a global TV audience of billions, said the town’s old motto, Ex Terra Lucem, helped influence the creation of the incredible Olympic cauldron.

He said the motto, ‘out of the earth came light’ was woven into the DNA of the ceremony.

This has sparked a debate which has rumbled on since the motto was changed in 1974 following boundary changes.

Writing in her leader’s newsletter, Cllr Marie Rimmer said: “When you think there was a worldwide audience of millions everyone in St Helens can be really proud our town helped to inspire one of the main themes of a true world event.”

Gary Conley, one of the figures behind bringing Dream to St Helens, said the motto was the inspiration for miners who planned the artwork on the old pit at Sutton Manor. He is more than keen to bring it back.

Gary said: “Ex Terra Lucem, from the earth comes light, is what this wonderful town was built on.

“At Sutton Manor Colliery we dug coal from under the ground, which went to the power stations that produced light and power so industries like Pilkingtons and Beechams could flourish and manufacture products distributed all over the world, which gave St Helens its unique identity. It suits us perfectly.

“It was also used as our inspiration in the development of Dream. The current motto, Prosperitas In Excelsis, means ‘Flourishing Well’. I know which one I prefer.”

It may have been a long time since it was last uttered in the town, but it still features in the present, featuring prominently on Langtree Park. Now there are others who say it needs to make a return.