Following an £8m investment from Active Life Ltd and Canterbury City Council, the upgraded facility now boasts modern amenities, including a new Intencity studio, a state-of-the-art gym, fully refurbished swimming and sports facilities, and a health suite featuring a sauna and steam room.

Building on our proven success with Whitstable Leisure Centre, Pillory Barn was brought in to lead the communications strategy for this significant project. From the outset, we developed and implemented a phased approach to marketing, ensuring key stakeholders, existing members, and the wider community remained informed and engaged throughout the planning and construction process.

Our work spanned multiple disciplines, including managing the launch event, overseeing everything from invitations, catering, and logistics to speech drafting and plaque unveiling, ensuring the occasion showcased the centre’s transformation at its best, to key stakeholders. We also crafted and distributed press releases to regional and industry media, facilitated councillor visits, developed a microsite to provide regular updates, and managed engaging website content.

To raise awareness across Canterbury, we designed and delivered a targeted out-of-home advertising campaign, to resonate with a range of demographics, including potential members. Our creative team also provided design solutions, designed QR codes for enhanced user access, and ensured messaging remained consistent across all channels.

Through clear communication and strategic storytelling, we helped manage construction updates and while building excitement for the launch. Our close collaboration with Active Life and Canterbury City Council ensured every milestone was celebrated and members felt involved in the centre’s journey.