Opinion

beers

Struggling pubs at risk as beer sales slide

6th, February 2011 by

Pulling the perfect pint may soon be a lost art if beer sales continue to slide. The humble pub is losing out to supermarkets who can sell booze cheaply and according to experts at the British Beer and Pub Association, overall beer sales fell by four per cent in 2010. Beer sales in pubs have dropped by more than seven per cent, yet supermarket sales [...]

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nacro

Councillors: Youth cuts are ‘disgusting’

5th, February 2011 by

Plans to cut the funding of a youth crime prevention programme have been met with anger by Preston councillors. The area’s Youth Inclusion Project (YIP) is to lose £82,000 in funding from the Youth Justice Board and now faces closure as government cutbacks take their toll on local services. But Labour councillors in the east of Preston, where the scheme operates, have branded the plans [...]

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The usual scene on the street.

BBC programme falls foul of controversy

2nd, February 2011 by

The BBC have been heavily criticised for using 20 dogs to foul on a street in Preston as part of a new television series. The programme called ‘The Street That Cut Everything’ shows 21 families trying to cope with no council services. The series is currently being filmed in the Beacon Avenue cul-de-sac in the suburb of Cadley and will cost close to £1 million [...]

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A Virgin Train Class 390 Pendolino on the west coast main line (c)Ingy the Wingy on Flickr

Opinion: What do you want from your new train operator?

31st, January 2011 by

The time has come for Blog Preston readers to have some input into the new West Coast Franchise arriving in April 2012. As passengers, you are paying for the privilege of getting from A to B. In many cases the premium you pay covers the cost of a seat. If you are unfortunate, you are standing but thanks to the delayed, over budget, multi-billion pound [...]

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Meet the Leaders

Traders get opportunity to ask council key questions

26th, January 2011 by

Preston North End’s Deepdale Stadium saw a coming together of more than 100 traders, to fire questions at some of the main players at Preston City Council. The event, organised by the Chamber of Commerce, saw Preston Council Leader Ken Hudson, chief executive Lorraine Norris, deputy leader Eric Fazackerley and finance director Bernard Hayes asked questions by business traders from across Preston. Hot topics included [...]

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vegan-month

Vegan month: ‘I finally gave in’

21st, January 2011 by

This week has been tough – no doubt about it. Maybe it’s different when you’ve been vegan from birth, but when you’ve completely changed your diet in the space of two weeks, it’s incredibly hard. Fake cheese, fake milk, fake butter – it all tastes vile. My normal breakfast of cereal or porridge has been replaced by toast; my lunchtime sandwiches have been replaced by [...]

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cannon street black and white

Opinion: Preston and the anti-cuts brigade

16th, January 2011 by

Early last Saturday afternoon, a disparate group of Preston residents gathered on the flag market for an anti-cuts rally. It was a grey, drizzly, and windy day. Some attendees had brought young children in pushchairs. Other attendees were students who had just rolled out of bed. However, all attendees were united in concern over the coalition government’s drastic public service cuts, and how this would [...]

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abattoir

Vegan month: an eye-opening first week

10th, January 2011 by

With only a week gone in my month of being a vegan, it’s too early to come to a verdict about its advantages and disadvantages. What I can say with some ease is that this week has opened my eyes with a sudden, sharp shock of the world of veganism. I spent the first week researching pro-vegan and anti-meat arguments, with the intention of looking [...]

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A typical scene on Christmas Day

The aftermath of Christmas: I’m turning vegan

7th, January 2011 by

It all started with a conversation during Christmas dinner. Conversation was flowing just as quickly as the bucks fizz, and talk soon turned to the year the father-in-law had bought a live turkey, killed it, plucked it, cooked it, sat down ate it – which, according to some sat around the table, is ‘disgusting’. They said it as they tucked into a shop-bought turkey. It [...]

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Deepdale stand

Opinion: Dark days at Deepdale

3rd, January 2011 by

These are testing times for all involved with Preston North End. The team are cut adrift at the bottom of the Championship, manager-less, with one of the smallest squads in the league, facing financial difficulty and struggling to put together any kind of form. Last week Chairman Maurice Lindsay decided to part company with manager Darren Ferguson. After only a year in charge. In fact, [...]

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Long walk for improvements - (c)JohnnyEnglish on Flickr

Opinion: Are rail price hikes un-fare?

3rd, January 2011 by

Another set of inflation busting rises in the cost of train travel in austere times and small or no pay increases means higher prices implemented by our train operating companies look criminal. There is no respite for season ticket holders as prices go up but regular and occasional users can still deflect the impact of rises, notably if they book in advance on long distance [...]

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Candid view of a pie counter in Preston's Indoor Market

Opinion: Why you should vote for Preston Market

26th, December 2010 by

Preston has been entered into a national competition to be crowned the best market in Britain, and here’s why we at Blog Preston think it should win. Blog Preston want to see Preston celebrated as the best city in Britain, and for Preston Market to win this national vote it will show how important local and fresh produce is to the city. While the convenience [...]

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2hwi39i

EDL & UAF Demonstrations – What the bloggers said

30th, November 2010 by

The demonstrations on Saturday provoked a lot of thought from many people. We saw reactions on Facebook, on Twitter and on people’s blogs. I’ve collected together some posts from people who had  a range of views on the demonstrations. Reni Eddo-Lodge said ‘an invisible, suffocating feeling of fear blanketed the streets. It was easy to feel intimidated by groups of white men with black scarves [...]

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