AFTER years of waiting, the final piece of the £1.9m Dream sculpture was lowered into place yesterday in glorious sunshine.

Its creator, world-renowned Spanish artist Jaume Plensa, said it was the most exciting project he had worked on, which had realised the dreams and passion of ex-miners.

The 20m-high elongated white face of a young girl sits on the former Sutton Manor Colliery site in St Helens.

Jaume worked with the ex-miners to create the face as an iconic sculpture signalling the history of the site and the regeneration of the borough.

He said: “This is the most emotional project I have worked on.

“When I first visited this site and climbed the hill with the ex-miners I was struck by its history and its importance as a local park.

“Talking with the miners who spent time in darkness, light was like a dream to them so I decided to use light and dreams in the sculpture.

“Using the face of a young girl represents the future more than that of a young boy.

“The concept of a female and the seeds of life look into the future and it’s white because the coal mine was black and the fields green, it tells a dialogue.”

Jaume’s work with the ex-miners and Sutton Manor Heritage group has been hailed by the art world as a groundbreaking public art project.

David Barrie, director of the Art Fund which put £181,000 into the project, said: “Our aim is to get art in front of as many people as possible, and Dream is as pioneering as a piece of public art as it goes, from the bottom up.

“The community asked us to do it and they have gone on a voyage of discovery to find out what’s possible and make it a magical reality.”