This year's Annual General Meeting, generously supported by Brabners, will be held on Tuesday 12 October at Preese Hall, Weeton.

Preese Hall is one of the oldest settlements in the Fylde, dating back to at least the Domesday Book of 1086, where it was described as ‘in the County of York’: Lancashire did not yet exist.  For much of recorded history it was the most westerly permanent settlement in the area, the lower land on which Blackpool and other low-lying villages now stand suffered ‘regular incursions of the sea’ until the Main Dyke was cut through the farm in 1850, taking floodwaters out to the Wyre Estuary.

Its isolated location surrounded by marshland made it an ideal hiding place for Catholic Recusants, and in an historical irony, also Cromwell’s army actually camped between the hamlet of Preese and the hamlet of Weeton before their victory at the Battle of Preston in August 1648. Military connections persist with the Ministry of Air having compulsorily purchased the existing army base, until then part of the farm, in 1940 taking almost 300 acres off the farm.

Today Preese Hall is home to a multi-faceted business mainly run by Alison Dalnas (Loftus), it includes a significant portfolio of light industrial, distribution and storage assets, nine residential properties, a commercial shoot, and of course the Black Powder gin distillery. The farming activity is far less intensive than in years gone by, and over 30,000 trees have been planted around the estate, which also boasts about 7 miles of hedgerows, 2 miles of waterway and a 5 acre lake all within a relatively small area. The family are particularly proud of the way in which modern diversifications sit within a high-quality rural landscape which is home to greater biodiversity, including the recent return of wild otters, than at any time in living memory.

Programme for the day

10.30am
Registration and refreshments at Preese Hall's Gun Room

11.00am
Formal AGM in the Main Hall CLA Deputy President – Mark Tufnell
Charles Hansford - Brabners Solicitors
Introduction and welcome to Preese Hall - John Loftus

12.15pm
Pre lunch drinks

1pm
A locally sourced two course lunch, with wine or soft drinks and water

2.15pm
Guided tour to take in traditional building let and commercial units, a wetland area with planted trees for shooting, and a visit to the Black Powder Gin Distillery

4.00pm
Tea, coffee and cake in Preese Hall's Gun Room prior to departure