Our Cunningly Good Coverage Roundup
October 2026

Making Headlines: October’s Standout PR Wins for West Lothian Leisure

From national television coverage and award-winning leisure facilities to inspiring stories of everyday heroes, October was another standout month for Cunningly Good Group client, West Lothian Leisure.

Our PR work on behalf of West Lothian Leisure generated an impressive 32 pieces of coverage, reaching a combined potential audience of 34.3 million and delivering an estimated 786,000 views.

With 2,410 social media engagements, 94% positive sentiment and an impressive brand prominence score of 87 out of 100, the results demonstrate that it wasn’t just about making headlines. It was about making those headlines count.

Through compelling storytelling, strong media relationships and a knack for spotting stories worth sharing, we helped put West Lothian Leisure in the spotlight across broadcast, print, online and social media. Here’s how we turned two brilliant stories into a month of meaningful PR results.

Xcite Linlithgow celebrates another national award

Winning once is impressive. Winning twice? That’s something worth shouting about.

October saw Xcite Linlithgow, operated by West Lothian Leisure, crowned Scotland’s Public Club/Centre of the Year for the second consecutive year at the prestigious ukactive Awards 2026.

The achievement was a testament to the centre’s commitment to community engagement, inclusive health and wellbeing, and delivering outstanding leisure services. For our PR team, it presented the perfect opportunity to transform a well-deserved industry accolade into widespread media recognition.

The story secured coverage across regional, national, business and specialist media, including Edinburgh Live, High Growth Scotland, The Edinburgh Reporter and Midlothian View. The achievement also featured on Yahoo News, generating an estimated 35,200 views, while print coverage in the West Lothian Courier brought the success story directly to local audiences. Further industry recognition came through Sustain Health Magazine and WellNation, reinforcing Xcite’s standing within the wider leisure and physical activity sector.

The result? Valuable third-party endorsement, stronger visibility across multiple audiences and a powerful reminder that West Lothian Leisure isn’t simply providing leisure facilities. It’s setting the standard for community health and wellbeing in Scotland.

A life-saving story captures national attention

Some stories are about winning awards. Others remind us what really matters. One of October’s most powerful PR successes was the remarkable story of 75-year-old Iain Muir, whose life was saved by quick-thinking staff at Xcite Craigswood in Livingston.

After suffering a cardiac arrest following a game of badminton in May 2026, Iain received life-saving assistance from leisure centre staff, who performed CPR and used a defibrillator. His subsequent recovery and reunion with the people who saved his life provided a moving opportunity to highlight the extraordinary difference that trained, dedicated leisure staff can make.

Recognising the human interest and wider public importance of the story, we helped bring Iain’s experience to a national audience. The story attracted significant attention from STV News, securing online editorial coverage, television coverage on STV News and widespread social media amplification. The digital response was particularly impressive:

• STV News on TikTok generated 17,200 plays and approximately 1,110 engagements.
• STV News on Instagram achieved an estimated 26,300 views and 271 engagements.
• STV News on Facebook generated 303 engagements.
• Additional coverage across STV’s social channels and Good News for the UK on Bluesky helped take the story to even wider audiences.

Beyond the impressive engagement, this was a story with real purpose. Not only did it shine a spotlight on the professionalism and dedication of West Lothian Leisure’s staff, it also supported an important wider conversation about CPR training, access to defibrillators and the value of life-saving skills within our communities. Great PR doesn’t always need a big announcement. Sometimes, the most powerful stories come from the people making an extraordinary difference in everyday places.

Extending the conversation across digital channels

Securing media coverage is one thing. Making sure the story keeps travelling is another. Throughout October, our PR activity generated further visibility through social media, with regional news outlets, business publications and public sector partners sharing West Lothian Leisure’s achievements with their own audiences.

The Xcite Linlithgow award win was amplified by West Lothian Council on Instagram and Facebook, alongside coverage from The Edinburgh Reporter on Bluesky, Scottish Business News and High Growth Scotland across LinkedIn and other social channels.

Meanwhile, STV’s multiplatform coverage of Iain Muir’s story demonstrated how a compelling human-interest angle can resonate far beyond its original broadcast. Across October, West Lothian Leisure’s coverage generated approximately 2,410 social media engagements, helping the stories reach new audiences and continue building momentum long after their initial publication.

With the CoverageBook report recording 94% positive sentiment and a brand prominence score of 87 out of 100, the results also demonstrate the quality of the coverage achieved, not simply the quantity.

More than headlines

October’s results for West Lothian Leisure demonstrate what happens when great stories meet clever, targeted PR. From securing national broadcast attention for a life-saving human-interest story to celebrating an award-winning leisure centre across national, regional and specialist media, our work helped deliver meaningful visibility and valuable third-party endorsement for the organisation.

32 pieces of coverage. A potential audience of 34.3 million. An estimated 786,000 views. And thousands of social engagements.

Impressive numbers, certainly. But behind every statistic is something even more valuable: stronger reputation, greater recognition and a positive spotlight on the people and places making West Lothian Leisure such an important part of its community.

And that’s what we call Cunningly Good PR. Want your organisation to make headlines for all the right reasons? Find out more about the award-winning PR and communications services from Cunningly Good Group. Call us on 01738 658187 or email info@wearecunninglygoodgroup.com.