PLANS have been drawn up to create a Workers Memorial statue at a park to honour all those who have lost their lives at the workplace.

The St Helens Workers Memorial charity is seeking to unveil a memorial at the Vera Page Park, near to the Steve Prescott Bridge.

The plans for the statue says the charity aims to "provide and maintain a memorial to commemorate the men, women and children of the region who have lost their lives during the course of their employment, through accident or industrial disease".

The statue will take the form of an industrial worker with a child held at arm’s length and will be around 1.8m to two metres in height.

The site for the proposed memorial, the former Lyons Yard, an area of regenerated former industrial land that was the centre of a range of heavy industries.

Near the Saints' stadium and retail parks it is said to form "a unique juxtaposition between the town’s industrial heritage and future aspirations".

It is hoped the public artwork will "give people a focal point to gather in order to commemorate and pay tribute to their loved ones for the sacrifices they have made and celebrate their lives".

Plans add: "Providing a memorial will raise awareness of the history and rich industrial heritage of St Helens and promote civic pride.

"We are raising funds by applying for grants, public donations and by involving the corporate community".

Richard McCauley, of the charity, said: "We are going to have the statue overlooking the Anderton Shearer mining memorial and overlooking Pilks.

"It will be a permanent tribute for people to sit and reflect.

"We sometimes forget the sacrifice made by people just going out to work and never coming back and we want to pay respects to them really."

It is hoped the statue will be unveiled on Sunday, April 28 this year, which marks International Workers Memorial Day.

The Lyons Yard green land, on Ravenhead Greenway Park, was officially renamed the Vera Page Park as part of a Hearts of Glass arts project in 2015.