It’s one year since Blog Preston set off on a mission to shine a brighter spotlight on arts, culture and events in our city.

It’s a quest that was made possible by you, our readers, and a host of organisations who backed our Crowdfund Lancashire appeal, which unlocked support from the Lancashire Culture and Sport Fund provided by Lancashire County Council.

We promised that we’d use the funds to increase our arts and culture coverage, and deliver an upgraded What’s On section. With the 12-month timeframe elapsed, I’m proud to say we’ve kept these promises.

Thanks to Crowdfund Lancashire, we’ve published close to one article every single day – 359 to be exact – covering a huge variety of subjects such as creator interviews, gigs, theatre shows, festivals, shopping events, sports/wellness, exhibitions, family-friendly activities, cinema, and nightlife – both emerging and established. We’ve been able to attend more events and speak with more people, too, giving a richer depth to our coverage.

All of this has helped put us in a position where 10 per cent of Blog Preston’s content focuses on arts and culture. In turn this translates into the city’s scene being more visible and accessible than ever, with our what’s on section amassing almost three quarters of a million views during the year.

We’ve also delivered all this content in a much more visually appealing way due to the What’s On section revamp, which went live in August thanks to the hard work of the talented team at 3ManFactory.

As part of the redesign, we launched our event listings. This has become a trusted source of inspiration for locals and visitors planning how to spend their time, plus a valuable platform for venues and organisers who can reach a wider audience for free. 

We anticipated this would plug a gap in the city’s what’s on scene, and that has proven to be the case with almost 800 events shared since the listings went live in August.

Read more: All our What’s On content including event listings

None of this would’ve been possible without your support. We took this very seriously, with every story, listing and bit of work behind the scenes being about delivering on the trust you placed in us.

The crowdfunder gave us the security needed to invest our time and efforts in creating something that benefits our local cultural landscape. The improved coverage has given increased opportunities for Prestonians to be entertained, connected and enriched by the arts.

All of this is an example of what a difference local, independent media can make when it’s powered by the people it serves. We’re proud of what we’ve achieved together, and promise to continue expanding our reach and our connections by championing the culture, creativity and talent that lives in our city – hopefully for many more years to come. 

A heartfelt thank you from everyone at Team BP.

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Read more: See more of what’s on in Preston

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