I FIND it surprising that the Good Companion Writers of St Helens wish the honorable of Freedom of the Borough to be endowed with the same mawkish sentimentality and 'pop culture' which has seen fine awards such as the Queen's Birthday Honours List to be now of slightly less merit than a Blue Peter Badge.

Surely we should expect people to be good at their jobs - whether they be nurses, sportsmen, artists, glass makers, school crossing wardens, teachers, or whatever. That is what they get paid for. And if you are very good at your job you get better wages and sometimes even a great fortune. It is an occupation for which you get paid.

The Freemen of St Helens have been people who have given that great deal extra outside their everyday paid occupation. In addition to their normal job they have devoted countless hundreds of hours to the smooth running, the efficiency, the progress, the development, the planning, the future of St Helens Borough. They have lived and breathed St Helens. As a born Suttoner I remember Alderman Joe Hughes, a sterling example of the completely dedicated local politician. He would give hearing and help at any time. His political workload, as indeed with many of our present councillors, was heavy, yet carried out cheerfully, meticulously, zealously and almost lovingly.

His award of Freeman was surely merited, was certainly not sought after, yet obviously one of which he was immensely proud. There is a great difference between 'bringing credit to St Helens' (I am not quite sure what this means), and 'working wholeheartedly for the good of St Helens.'

Resist the sentimental popularity line. Let our time-honoured tradition remain firm and unadulterated and let the Freedom of the Borough be an honorable, esteemed and well-earned award.

A.G. Windle Grove (full name and address supplied).

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