Christmas opening hours

Customer Hub

If you want to speak to someone in person you can visit our Customer Hub at St Helens Town Hall, Victoria Square, St Helens, WA10 1HP on the following dates and times over the festive period:

• Monday 23 December - open 9am - 5pm
• Tuesday 24 December - open 9am - 5pm
• Wednesday 25 December - closed
• Thursday 26 December - closed
• Friday 27 December - open 9am - 5pm
• Monday 30 December - open 9am - 5pm
• Tuesday 31 December - open 9am - 5pm
• Wednesday 1 January - closed

Unless stated above, the Customer Hub will be open as usual, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

Call Centre

If you want to speak to us on the phone you can call us on 01744 676789 on the following dates and times over the festive period:

• Monday 23 December - 8am - 6pm
• Tuesday 24 December - 8am - 6pm
• Wednesday 25 December - closed
• Thursday 26 December - closed
• Friday 27 December - 9am - 5pm
• Saturday 28 December - 10am - 2pm
• Monday 30 December - 9am - 5pm
• Tuesday 31 December - 9am - 5pm
• Wednesday 1 January - closed

Unless stated above, the call centre will be open 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, and 10am to 2pm on Saturdays.

Contact Cares is the single point of access for all social care and adult health referrals in St Helens Borough, and the first point of contact for children referrals.

The team provide help for a range of issues including health and care needs and are available every day throughout the festive period, from 8am to 10pm, on 01744 676767 or by emailing contactcares@sthelens.gov.uk.

Welcome Spaces are somewhere you can go to get warm, stay warm and enjoy a little company. In some you'll also be able to get refreshments.

Residents of all ages across the borough are welcome to come into our libraries and leisure centres, to stay warm, and there are other Welcome Spaces across the borough.

Our Welcome Spaces directory shows where known Welcome Spaces are available and their opening times. It also includes information on facilities and access.

Register Office

Our register office is open for death registrations only during the Christmas period. These are triaged by telephone first and all registrations are by appointment. We accept card payments only for certificates.

We will call the next of kin between 9am and 4.45pm once we have the paperwork from the Medical Examiner - there is no requirement for any family members to ring us.

We will also be available to issue emergency funeral documents for faith funerals via on call arrangements between 10am - 12pm over the holiday weekends/Bank holidays except Christmas Day. This is by appointment only on 01744 676728.

Bereavement Services

Book of Remembrance opening times

The Book of Remembrance will be open every day 9am - 4pm on normal working days. At weekends and Bank Holidays, it will be open 10am - 4pm. This includes Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day.

Sexual Health St Helens will be open during the following times over the festive period.

• Monday 23 December: 9am - 4.30pm
• Tuesday 24 December - 9am - 2pm
• Wednesday 25 December - closed
• Thursday 26 December - closed
• Friday 27 December - 9am - 4.30pm
• Saturday 28 December - closed
• Sunday 29 December - closed
• Monday 30 December - 9am - 4.30pm
• Tuesday 31 December - 9am - 2pm
• Wednesday 1 January - closed
• Thursday 2 January - 9am - 4.30pm
• Friday 3 January - 9am - 4.30pm
• Saturday 4 January - closed
• Sunday 5 January - closed

Concerned about someone's safety or welfare?

If you believe that a child, young person or adult is at immediate risk, you should report this without delay to the police service on 999.

If they are not in immediate danger, you can do one of the following:

• Call the Contact Cares team on 01744 676767 and tell them that you have a concern about a child;
• Outside of office hours, call the Emergency Duty Team on 0345 050 0148;
• Call Merseyside Police on 0151 709 6010 (24-hour line);
• Discuss your concerns with a professional you can trust such as a health visitor, teacher or GP; or
• Contact the NSPCC Helpline on 0808 800 5000.

Who will answer the phone?

An EDT call handler will answer the phone and take details of the problem and your contact details. They will then pass this information over to an experienced and qualified Emergency Duty Social Worker.

There are temporary library closures throughout December 2024.

All libraries will close at 1pm on Tuesday 24 December and opening hours will be reduced over the festive period.

Opening hours resume as usual from Thursday 2 January 2025.

All items that would normally be due back during the festive period will have an extended due date of Thursday 2 January 2025. 

Online services are accessible 24/7 via our website and BorrowBox.

Foodbank - requires voucher

St John's Foodbank, St John Street, Earlestown, WA12 9DG

• Wednesday 11 December & 18 December 11.30am - 1.30pm
• Closed until 8 January 2025

The Mount, Parr Mount, Traverse Street, Fingerpost, WA9 1BW

• Monday 16 December 12.30pm - 2.30pm
• Closed until 6 January 2025

Newton CC, Park Road South, Newton-le-Willows, WA12 8EX

• Closed until Friday 10 January 2025

St Helens Christian Life Centre & St Helens Parish Church Hall

• Tuesday 24 December at Atherton Street (CLC), 11am - 2.30pm
• Foodbank will reopen on Thursday 2 January 2025 at Parish Church Hall, 11am - 2pm

WA12 Food Share

£5.00 for annual membership then £1 per visit.

They are based at 1A Haydock Street, Earlestown, WA12 9AB and are usually open:

• Mondays - Fridays 10.30am -12.30pm and 9.15pm-9.45/10.00pm
• Saturdays 9.00pm -10.00pm
• Sundays 5.00pm-6.00pm

Please note they have no spaces currently for new members but may still be able to help you with an emergency food parcel.

Please also note Foodshare is closed on Christmas Day and New Years Day

They can be contacted via their Facebook Group online which you can find by searching WA12 Domestic Abuse Food Share.

Food pantries - £5 weekly subscription

St Mark's Haydock

• Monday 16 December: 5.30pm - 7pm
• Thursay 19 December: 9am - 11am
• Closed for two weeks and reopen on 6 January 2025

St Luke's

• Wednesday 18 December: 3pm - 5pm
• Closed for two weeks and reopen on 8 January 2025

Hope @ the Wesley Church

• Last day 24 December and reopens on 7 January 2025

St Helens Mobile Pantry - open on 23 and 24 December. Closed until 6 January 2025

• Cross Lane United Church, Newton-le-Willows - 23 December, 10.30am - 12pm

• Sutton Family Hub, Ellamsbridge Road - 24 December, 10.30am - 12pm

The Hope Centre

• The centre will close on  Tuesday 24 December at 4pm and reopen on Thursday 2 January at 9am. 
• Baby Basics will close on Monday 23 December and reopen on Monday 6 January.
• Hope Pantry will close on Tuesday 24 December at 1pm and reopen on Tuesday 7 January at 11am.
• The last foodbank available for the Christmas period will be on Tuesday 24 December at Atherton Street (CLC), 11am - 2.30pm. The foodbank will reopen on Tuesday 2 January at parish Church Hall, 11am - 2pm.
• Restore will close on Monday 20 December and reopen on Monday 6 January.