Welcome to the forum!
Good to see some northerners! I drive from Morecambe to Leyland every day so wave if you see me!
As for garages around the Preston area, the best independant is a guy in Lytham called Ferdi's(look on the general discussion section for locals) or here is his website
Ferdis Garage he is probably not a cheap as a local garage but he really knows his stuff
Enjoy your trip and hope to see you soon on an AONW meeting