West End star Carley Stenson to add glitz to Pride of St Helens awards (From St Helens Star)

West End star Carley Stenson to add glitz to Pride of St Helens awards

9:55am Thursday 11th October 2012 in News

AMAZING stories of achievement, courage, commitment and sporting endeavour will be celebrated when the inaugural Solar King Pride of St Helens awards is staged at Langtree Park tomorrow (Friday).

Organisers are putting the finishing touches to plans for the gala ceremony which is being held to shout about the very best of our town.

They will be hosting more than 300 guests, including nominees who are in contention for the 11 awards.

The event is the idea of Steve Prescott and the St Helens Star, who felt a platform was needed to promote the town’s success stories and the great people that make them happen.

West End star Carley Stenson, of Billinge, will add a dash of showbiz glitz to the evening after securing the night off from Shrek The Musical to travel up from London to her hometown.

Meanwhile, David Collins, the award-winning Daily Mirror journalist, is heading back to his roots after being named as one of three nominees for the flagship Pride of St Helens honour.

Naturally, there is intense competition for that prize with former soldier Andy Reid, the triple amputee whose courage in the face of adversity since being injured in an Afghanistan bomb blast earned national recognition, also shortlisted.

Paul Wellens, the widely respected Saints rugby league captain, makes up the shortlist for the evening’s major prize.

A wealth of outstanding nominees are in the running for 10 other awards, including the likes of Johnny Vegas, nominated for the Performing Arts category, boxer Martin Murray, and little cancer patient, Billy Jarvis, whose story has featured in the Star.

There are also plenty of lesser known names too, and the event’s hosts are excited about putting their stories and faces in the spotlight.

Martin Blondel, of organisers the Steve Prescott Foundation, said: “We hope everyone is looking forward to a wonderful night.

“A huge amount of work has been going on behind the scenes to prepare for this inaugural event and the support of businesses who have bought into why we should be proud of our town.

Steve Leary, editor of the Star, the event’s media partners, added: “We want to help boost civic pride and emphasise that people should not be afraid to shout about the incredible achievements of St Helens.”

Guests will be entertained by young tenor Tom Loughlin, nostalgic singer Heather McHale and the Backbeat Beatles.