About Preston

Situated in the heart of North West England, Preston forms part of Lancashire's beautiful landscape and contemporary developments. With the city's superb road, rail, air and sea links, Preston provides a fast and easy gateway to national and international destinations.  Preston has also recently been awarded Purple Flag status, which officially recognises it as one of the safest, cleanest and most enjoyable places for a night out.
 
Getting around

Getting about is easy – the bus and train stations are a short walk from the campus, which has a compact and friendly feel. Most of the buildings are within a ten-minute walk of each other and there are fantastic new facilities for business, health and science, along with cutting-edge study environments in technology, arts and humanities. Campus developments continue to go from strength to strength and you can see many of the latest on the UCLan news site.

To help you find your way around there’s a student information centre called The 'i' situated in the centre of the campus.  This is the first port of call for help and advice on most subjects – from accommodation to careers to council tax.

Entertainment and sport

UCLan's main campus is situated in the Adelphi Quarter on the edge of Preston’s city centre.  It offers excellent amenities on Friargate and around campus, including a cinema, shops, cafes and bars.  If that is not enough, as a UCLan student you also have your very own night club - 53⁰ - which plays host to the best line-up of live gigs including Dizzee Rascal, Plan B, Ellie Goulding, Biffy Clyro and Professor Green, as well as hosting comedy nights and many other kinds of entertainment.

The large population of UCLan students has turned Preston into an energetic city with a buzzing nightlife and a growing arts scene, surrounded by pubs, clubs and eateries that provide worldwide cuisines to cater for every palette. There’s a range of entertainment venues, including the Guild Hall and Charter Theatre, providing year-round entertainment such as major sporting events, ballet, drama, concerts and much, much more.

Sport and recreation are a major part of student life and we have first-rate facilities both on campus and on our doorstep.  Our brand new Sir Tom Finney Sports Centre is a purpose-built, state of the art indoor sports centre with four floors providing outstanding facilities for a wide variety of sporting needs.  Outdoor sports can be enjoyed at the nearby UCLan Sports Arena which can compete with the best in the North West, offering facilities for team sports, racket sports, outdoor pursuits, fitness and athletics.

As with any city, we have an excellent schedule of popular cultural events throughout the year including the Caribbean Carnival and Preston Mela, which celebrates Asian cultures and communities, as well as several European markets and stalls.  2012 will be a particularly exciting year for Preston as we will be hosting two major events.  Preston has been named as one of the 2012 European Cities of Sport and will be hosting the UK Corporate Games.  2012 is also Guild Year and Preston will be hosting a variety of events and attractions to celebrate this; for more information see www.prestonguild2012.com.

Should you ever tire of Preston’s other attractions, such as big-name shops, museums and cultural attractions, the city’s excellent transport links mean that you can be building sandcastles in Blackpool, rambling up a hill in the Lake District or sampling big city life in Manchester – all within the hour.

View our gallery below to see more or search UCLan on Flickr.  You are also welcome to find out more information on Preston at www.visitpreston.com