LAST Thursday was 'Lancashire Day', when Lancastrians left high and dry in Cheshire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester and Cumbria after the local government shake up of 1974, celebrated their common identity. And here in St Helens it could be a last chance to assert our identity, because the longer we remain in Merseyside (or Greater Liverpool), the quicker it will disappear.

Liverpool's 'City of Culture' status could be the final nail in St Helens' coffin. St Helens hasn't Liverpool's riches in terms of heritage and culture - few places have - but what little we have got will have been quietly absorbed into Liverpool's 'cultural' portfolio by 2008. Pilkingtons, Saints, World of Glass, St Helens Show, Haydock Park, you name it, will become part of the 'city of culture' brand. And there they'll stay.

Whatever St Helens' identity is - and it is rooted in its history, its culture and people - has been threatened by 'creeping Merseysidation' for nearly 30 years, to the extent that the name of our town is now almost universally synonymous with Liverpool. Public service organisations, corporate giants, local businesses, the media and prominent individuals have all been either passive at best or complicit at worst.

Take Asda, for instance. The company lists the address of its local store as 'Kirkland Street, St Helens, Liverpool'. Meanwhile, our police, fire, transport and health services all manage to give St Helens a strong 'scouse' flavour. Throughout the North West, Arriva buses proudly carry the slogan 'serving the North West'. Not in St Helens, of course. Ours are 'serv'n (sic) Merseyside' as they trundle between Merseytravel's corporate yellow bus stops. Merseytravel makes sure the first impression visitors arriving at St Helens get is one of a Liverpool outpost.

So if your own identity and the identity of your town means anything to you, this is your last chance to save it:

Ditch Merseyside from your address and use Lancashire instead (it won't make any difference to your bus pass, European money or anything else);

Ask your local councillor to help get 'Merseyside' removed from all council stationary and correspondence;

St Heleners - reclaim your identity while you still can. Nobody else will do it for you.

OUT of Merseyside, (address supplied).