Xcite Linlithgow named Scotland's Public Club or Centre of the Year for the second year running

Linlithgow's leisure centre is officially one of the best in the country, again. For the second year in a row, Xcite Linlithgow has been named Scotland's Public Club/Centre of the Year at the Ukactive Awards 2026, held at the ICC in Birmingham in October.

The centre is run by West Lothian Leisure, the community leisure trust that manages health, sport and leisure services on behalf of West Lothian Council under the Xcite name. It was recognised for its community engagement and inclusive approach to health and wellbeing, helping more people get active through programmes shaped by local needs and customer feedback. Xcite was the only Scottish community leisure trust to win at this year's awards, having been shortlisted in three categories.

The numbers behind the award are impressive. Xcite Linlithgow has almost 5,000 members and recorded 538,897 visits over the year, up by more than 34,000 on the year before, along with a 95 per cent customer satisfaction rating.

Its programme caters for all ages and abilities, from Learn to Swim and Stronger Together 60+ to women's weightlifting and neurodiversity-friendly gym sessions. In response to feedback, the centre has introduced weightlifting clinics, which have sold out, Men's Only Yoga and expanded youth Hyrox sessions. Partnerships including the Scotland Cerebral Palsy Football First Team show its commitment to making activity accessible to everyone.

The success follows a period of investment across the trust. West Lothian Leisure won the Innovation and Resilience Award at the 2025 West Lothian Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards, when judges highlighted gym expansions at Linlithgow, Whitburn and Bathgate that transformed underused spaces, along with new activities such as indoor padel and pickleball elsewhere in the county.

West Lothian Leisure's chief executive, Ben Lamb, said at the time that the chamber award was a powerful recognition of staff creativity, commitment and determination. The trust's health referral work has also grown, with 2,476 health referrals delivered in 2024/25, a rise of 26 per cent.

For Linlithgow residents, it is a well-earned pat on the back for a centre that has become a busy part of town life.

Memberships, swimming lessons and class timetables are available on the Xcite website.