Memories of Avenham Park

My friend Paul Melling asked me to stand in for him filling the slot of ‘Preston in the Picture’. I have to be honest my standards of photography come nowhere close to my very talented friend, so instead of even attempting to compete I’ve decided to share a few secrets with you instead!

Photographs to me are so important, I’m one of those really annoying people who takes photos of everyone and everything, but I believe they are the best way to record memories so I never forget the time I thought WOW or the time something really made me smile. I could happily spend hours looking back over old photos reminiscing about places we’ve visited, things we have seen and things we have done. Not everyone agrees with my approach and at times I think it secretly frustrates my other half as he prefers memories to be more private and held only in the actual memory – for me there’s not enough space in there to remember all the detail I want to.

I am a Prestonian born and bred and am very proud to say so. I have many photos of Preston that bring back many special memories and over the next two weeks I’ll share a few with you.

The first being Avenham Park, only a stone’s throw from the Boulevard where I grew up. Here is a collage of images that should help show you what make this park pretty special.

Top right – In 1996 aged just 12, I saw the Spice Girls perform here before they made it!
Top Left – I’ve spent many a chilly Easter morning rolling my eggs down the hill
Bottom Left – June 2011, a surprise 18th birthday picnic for my sister
Bottom right – 23 June 2012, as I cycled to watch the Olympic torch pass through Preston I saw the park flooded for the first time!

While the weather is still terrible I challenge you all to spend just 30 minutes looking over your old photos this week and hopefully they’ll bring back happy memories for you.