Out & About in Preston

Preston is situated in Lancashire, in the North West of England. In 2002, in the 50th year of Queen Elizabeth II's reign, she granted Preston the prestigious accolade of being England's 50th City. Since then the city, which boasts a population of just over 130,000, has seen some pretty major refurbishments. The town centre has been overhauled and work continues to improve the city and firmly put Preston on the map. Preston Docks, or Riversway, and the surrounding Marina, are home to a thriving commerical and residential complex. Preston is located about an hour from Manchester and Liverpool. It is also only around twenty minutes from Blackpool.

Home to the University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN), which is situated in the city centre, ensuring easy access to accommodation, restaurants, clubs and bars. UCLAN is a vibrant university for a vibrant city, with nearly 32,000 students attending the university each year. Recently UCLAN has spent =A36.5 million updating its student union building, which can now compete with any university in the country.

Preston is also the home to Preston North End Football Club and Stadium. Preston North End (PNE) currently play in the The Coca-Cola Football League Championship, and boasts a stadium capacity of just over 23,000. Preston Football Club is also one of the oldest in the country.

Preston is situated on the North Bank of the River Ribble. Preston has many large parks including Moor Park, which in 2007 hosted Radio 1's Big Weekend, and saw the likes of Dizee Rascal, Gossip, Kaiser Chiefs, Razorlight, Stereophonics and Rihanna.

Shopping

Preston's Shopping facilities have been updated and modernised recently. The city has two large shopping malls located within its town centre, which are within five minutes walking distance of each other. The Mall Shopping Centre and the Fishergate Shopping Centre, house an array of fantastic stores, such as the largest Debenhams in Lancashire, BHS, Marks and Spencer's, Evans- and for all those who love a designer bargain - TK MaXX. Preston is also home to the historic Flag Market - a huge outdoor market which is open for business on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, and is located beside the six day Indoor Market.

Food and Drink

When it comes to food, there is something for everyone on Preston's Menu! From the usual array of Fast food joints - McDonalds, KFC and Greggs, to the award winning Tapas Bar, Pond, and everything in between! If you want a stylish Indian, check out Bangla Fusion, on Liverpool Old Road. For something really different, Bistro French, Preston's cabaret restaurant cannot be missed. And for an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet, be sure to visit Buffet@Preston on Friargate.

With a large student population finding somewhere to have a good knees-up is not going to be a problem in Preston. There are pubs and clubs a plenty, some of the most popular are, Larva & Ignite, PR1 and Squires. But where the party is really at is UCLANS 53 Degrees, which is home to Gigs, DJ's and Comedy Clubs.

Arts & Entertainment

Steeped in historical culture, The Harris Museum and Art Gallery has been the pride of Preston since 1893. Housing Preston's largest public library, you can steep yourself in the history of the city or peruse Fine Art collections by Ivon Hitchens, Graham Sutherland, Stanley Spencer and Lucian Freud. Preston is also the home to the The National Football Museum, The Museum of Lancashire, Ribble Steam Railway and The Queen's Lancashire Regiment Museum.

In terms of theatres, Preston offers up the Preston Guild Hall and the Charter Theatre. Many Shows, Acts, comedy routines, and childrens' productions and pantomimes have come to the Guild Hall and as Preston is only about 20 minutes from Blackpool there is always the opportunity to see larger productions there.

Hotels and Travel

Accommodation in Preston is easy to find. Situated in the town centre you will find the Holiday Inn, The Legacy International Hotel and the Marriott Hotel. Travel a little way out of town and you could find yourself staying in the Bartle Hall Hotel, Ibis Preston North, Haighton Manor County House Hotel or the state of the art Barton Grange Hotel.

Travelling to and from Preston is as easy as pie. With train links to London and Glasgow, as well as coach services, coming and going has never been easier. The M6 motorway (the longest in the UK) makes Preston very accessible by car, linking you to either Manchester, Carlisle, Scotland or South bound to Rugby.

Blackpool Airport is some 20 minutes away and increasing its services all the time. And you are only about an hour away from major and international airports, such as Manchester and Liverpool.