I CURRENTLY live in Manchester and have recently visited my parents at their home in Eccleston, and I must say that St Helens as a town is improving all the time.

I am extremly happy that St Helens Council has marked our heritage with two well-designed mining tributes in the town centre and on the link road. My great grandfather was killed in a collapsed mine, and for me these statues are a monument to him and the brave men, women and children that were killed or hurt by the mining industry.

The new glass museum at the old 'Hotties' site, is very impressive and now rivals the Albert Dock in Liverpool and Wigan Pier. I am also happy to see how clean and pedrestrian-friendly the town is becoming, and the new Victoria Square would be fitting in any town or city across Europe.

The new bars and restaurants on Westfield Street are now appealing and give St Helens a cosmopolitan feel to the town. As a child, I always remembered St Helens as a dirty, laughed-at town which always lagged behind Wigan and Warrington, but this is not the case any more. The town is now a credit to the spirit of the St Helens' people and its hard-working town council.

Dan Twist, Rusholme, Manchester.