Grow arts coverage in Preston

We launched our new-look what's on section and events listing in July this year, and it's had nearly 300 events in and around Preston listed on it so far.

We've also been publishing at least one-story-a-day about the city's arts, culture and what's on scene. Some examples below of our coverage, of which we've published 192 since April when we began our commitment to increased coverage.

1. Cottam creative's spoken word open mic night is a hit in Preston
2. Ben Casey and Christine Cort on breathing new life into old bricks at ambitious Preston venue Chew's Yard
3. Fulwood sisters making proud artists out of creative beginners
4. Preston institution Willy Banjo celebrating 30th birthday with big bash at The Ferret
5. 'Monumental moment' for iconic Preston music venue The Ferret as future secured
6. Preston Caribbean Carnival artist talks costumes and community ahead of 50th anniversary event
7. Preston drama club to perform amateur premiere of play by local lad turned West End star
8. Preston photographer's exhibition exploring grandad's life in relation to city's history
9. Preston DJ running industry socials in the city
10. Preston's latest blue plaque honours wall that formed part of Old Tram Road
11. Interactive mural map for Preston launches
12. Jalgos to host event celebrating legacies of cricket and Carnival in Preston
13. Preston Orpheus Choir's call out for new members ahead of autumn restart
14. Preston entrepreneur's passion project to launch creative studios for hire
15. Preston art director's project to empower Northern female painters and boost local arts scene
16. Guided walk to explore Preston's historic tram road
17. If you enjoyed BBC Radio 2 In The Park Preston then these events should be next
18. Preston entrepreneur blending creative talent with passion for wine in exciting new venture
19. 'Small but mighty Pride' to put the rainbow stamp on Preston this weekend
20. Lancashire Fringe Festival coverage

This is having a positive impact on the city's events scene, here's what Garry Cook who organises the Lancashire Fringe Festival had to say.

"Blog Preston’s support of Lancashire Fringe festival and the other events I do has been phenomenal.

"In relation to the recent #lancsfringe (Sept 25-Oct 09, 2024) BP’s depth of coverage has contributed massively to the success of the festival.

"Although presented as a performance festival #lancsfringe is essentially an audience engagement project – targeting the people of Preston and persuading them to attend theatre shows and performances when they would otherwise not.

"This is a hugely difficult task in Preston for a variety of  reasons which are not applicable to other Lancashire towns and cities, primarily being low arts engagement.

"The extra funding BP has secured through Crowdfund Lancashire has enabled them to create a new listings section for their website and increase the number of articles they publish. For #lancsfringe this meant conducting interviews and publishing previews for several individual shows – hugely increasing awareness of the performances and having a direct impact on audience attendance numbers.

"Attendances for the 2024 festival were significantly bigger than those of 2023. I can’t thank Blog Preston enough for their help with this success."

We've also been able to cover more extensively the large-scale events happening in the city, from BBC Radio 2 In The Park to the Encounter Festival to the city's Caribbean Carnival.

Our funding enabled us to continue our expanded arts coverage for 12 months through to April 2025, and the new what's on section and events listing is a resource to be used for years to come. We continue to promote it and encourage organisations and inviduals to make use of it!