Preston Heritage Network
April 9th 2025 saw the first meeting of the Preston Heritage Network. We sent emails out to various heritage and community groups in Preston to attend. The idea behind the meeting was to update other heritage groups about what your group is up to, and how any ongoing campaigns are progressing. Members of the council, representing each political group, were also invited. If you represent a heritage campaign or group based in Preston, and haven’t already attended one of our meetings, please contact us. You can email us at preservingprestonsheritage@gmail.com
If you feel you are another interested party, who would benefit from attending these Network meetings, maybe representing a heritage building or business, then also let us know and I will send you an invite to future meetings. After this idea got of the ground in spring 2025, we would really like to see it continue. We feel the inaugural meeting was very successful, and plan to have them on a regular basis (several times a year). The next meeting will be in autumn 2025.
The first Heritage Network meeting was attended by many heritage and community groups from the area. It became an opportunity for groups who perhaps didn’t already know of each other’s existence to get in touch, and subsequently keep up to date with their respective activities.
Represented at the first meeting were:
- Friends of Edith Rigby
- Preston Black History
- Friends of Winckley Square
- Preston History
- Preston Historical Society
- Jalgo’s
- Preston Masonic Hall and Group
- Ribble Steam
- Blog Preston
- Piping Hot Music Club (who told us about the Preston Brass Band)
- Local architect John Bridge
- Artist Gavin Renshaw
- Preserving Preston’s Heritage
The council were represented by Labour group representative Mel Close, Armed Forces Champion and disability and equality advocate.
We also were sent apologies by other councillors, Friends of the Guild Wheel, Friends of the Tram Bridge, Friends of The Harris School of Art, Preston Pulse and received updates from Preston Trampower and Restoring Preston Basin campaign.
It was a really informative and upbeat meeting, there’s so much positive action regarding heritage in our city. Look up the work of each of these groups and find out how you can support them. Hopefully, we will have lots of events and projects to tell you about, as a promise was made to keep each other informed and promote each others’ activities.