As of December 2011, I’ve decided once and for all to conclude the activities of www.prestonaway.co.uk.

For the past 6 years, I’ve hopefully brought you a humorous and interesting insight from all 4 corners of the earth of my own personal way of following my 2 true loves in life, England and Preston. However, We’re all getting older, fatter, less fit and gaining more commitments with wives, mortgages and a change in my own personal circumstances, Therefore I have decided to bring the curtains on a period of our lives that we’re carefree and enchanted with experiences that are best resigned to history.

PrestonAway gave me the opportunity to travel to some places you just don’t have the normal opportunity to - Kosovo, Pakistan, Moldova, Bosnia, Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, Japan, Luxembourg, but also gave me the great satisfaction of entertaining people with funny stories. Even more so I enjoyed sharing my experiences and I’m sure all those who travelled with me will agree there was never a dull moment with Preston Away - sleeping in sheds, turned back from borders but also the more seriousness of commemorating those that allowed us to have this freedom, visiting British War Graves most notably in Europe and Asia.

We won’t forget our domestic activities which I‘d like to say started at Southend away on Saturday 11th November 2006 officially at 4.30am on Preston train station with 36 cans of Boddingtons, 3 bottles of wine, a bottle of vodka, 10 cans of cider and 6 cans of red bull for the 3 debutants. Our ways weren’t to change much over the years as we had arrests, hospital visits, were VIP‘s, come across loads of dickheads as well as too many decent folk to mention, missed quite a few trains, done handfuls a random trip not forgetting London to Preston Via Luxembourg and Preston to Hull via Amsterdam. We have swelled our ranks and made welcomed dozens and dozens of randomers that now we considers a friend, A massive thanks goes to Gazz who always did a sterling job on our away day write ups. Cheers Gazz

We have had many great stories, for example Hideous by Belter, We’ll always remember the “the trip home was silent, but silently chuffed” line. JK and Seb were also partial to a good story and JK’s story of going home with a Canadian bird thinking it was his lucky night only to be left on the doorstep after paying the taxi and be laughed at through the letter box was a classic. Cheers lads and to any others who contributed

In that time we have been closed down twice, managed to raise over £1,500 for Help for Heroes, had a historic double winning football team, an always losing cricket team (well, played 1 lost 1) and just basically had too many days to mention were we came together for a bloody good piss up be it in just a pub in town between Christmas and New Year or a Friday night at the dogs.

With the closing of the www.prestonaway.co.uk door, another door opens and we have our fingers in a few pies that over the next couple of years should mature and will hopefully bring you a few more chuckles and memories,

so with over 70,000 views, ‘til next time, Thanks and goodnight Vienna,