All rise for the St Helens parliament

St Helens residents, Barbara and ‘Bilko’ Dyer, met IW East MP, Joe Robertson, as part of the “Play in the Bay” project, celebrating local sporting history, including the positioning of the “Parliament Seat” overlooking St Helens’ cricket square. The bench earned it’s long-standing nickname for its connection to local “parliamentary” debate.

The seat was originally a tree near to the old cricket pavilion by the old Saw Mill, on the lower side of The Green. Felled around 1890, it was known as “the timber” and became a meeting spot for some of the older residents of the village. It was subsequently rolled it up the hill to its present location. As the constituency’s representative in Westminster, it will have made a change for Mr Robertson from sitting on the green leather benches of the House of Commons.

St Helens Historical Society, founded by Barbara Dyer, helped restore the bench in the 2020s. This week 88-year-old Cecil ‘Bilko’ Dyer sat on it, and reminisced with Mr Robertson about growing up in the village, recalling family members whose names are listed on the Parish War Memorial, and chatted about being a descendent of local boatbuilder, Barney Woodnutt.

Mr Robertson said: “Growing up in St Helens I’m very mindful of the history and heritage of the village, and the Island, and am grateful for the tireless work of people like Bilko and Barbara for ensuring the moments and memories of the past are recorded for future generations, such as my children, to enjoy and cherish.”