By Brian Chandler, APR – Founder & CEO
At Surf Park Central’s Surf Park Summit in November, I had the opportunity to hear directly from the team behind Lost Shore Surf Park in Scotland. As the “only” PR/marketing agency professional representative in the room, one moment from their presentation stood out more than anything else. Lost Shore openly shared that they work with a retained PR firm and that earned media relations plays an active role in both their operations and growth strategy.
Let me just say, “This matters.”
Too often, surf parks view PR as something that happens only around opening day. Lost Shore approaches it differently. Their team talked about how PR is an ongoing investment, that supports visibility, credibility and community connection, well beyond launch.
During the presentation, Andy Hadden, founder of Lost Shore Surf Park, summed up their philosophy with a line that immediately stuck with me: “Inclusivity equals publicity.” The idea is simple but forward thinking. When a surf park meaningfully includes its local community through access, programming and outreach, those efforts naturally create stories worth telling.
Much of Lost Shore’s PR focus revolves around earned media tied to tangible, public-facing programs, including youth development initiatives, partnerships with national and regional organizations, elite athlete training pathways and inclusive access to surfing. One of the most compelling examples is the park’s emphasis on adaptive surfing and surf therapy, which has positioned Lost Shore as a leader in accessibility within the surf park space. Coverage in The Scotsman has highlighted how Lost Shore specifically is helping redefine who surfing is for, with a focus on programs that welcome individuals with disabilities and those who may not traditionally have access to the sport. 
Their work has also been featured in Wave Pool Magazine, including news coverage from the 2025 Surf Therapy Summit, facilitated by International Surf Therapy Organization and highlighted by the organization’s CEO Kris Primacio. The article underscores the growing role surf parks can play in therapeutic and adaptive programming and highlights how Lost Shores is leading the way. Together, these stories, and a whole array of others, reinforce a simple but powerful truth: when inclusivity is built into a park’s operations, it creates authentic narratives that resonate with media, communities and partners alike.
What stood out just as much as the coverage itself was how Hadden described the way Lost Shore measures success. The team described working with their local PR firm on a monthly retainer and evaluating performance using traditional, disciplined PR benchmarks, including earned media placements, brand awareness and amplification of those stories through social media. At the time of the summit, they also shared that they were actively working with The New York Times on a story about the surf cove, a clear signal that their communications strategy is resonating well beyond the UK.
From my perspective, this was encouraging because Lost Shore clearly gets it. They understand that PR is not just about opening a surf park. It is about sustaining relevance, building trust and continually reinforcing why the park matters to the community it serves.
At Commonwealth Public Relations, this is exactly where we see the greatest opportunity for surf parks. Strategic PR can help projects move through approvals, but it is just as critical after opening day. Parks that invest in ongoing earned media, community storytelling and brand amplification are better positioned to grow, adapt and remain relevant over time. Lost Shore is proving that when PR is treated as a core business function, it becomes a long-term asset rather than a line item.
Have questions? Reach out to me at surfparkpr@commonwealth-pr.com.
