Funding awarded for solar panels at Newbold Comyn Leisure Centre
Warwick District Council is pleased to announce that it has received £234,000 from phase two of the Sport England Swimming Pool Support Fund to install solar PV panels at Newbold Comyn Leisure Centre.
When installed, the solar panels are predicted to save 28.3 tonnes of carbon emissions and provide an energy bill saving of £31,931 per year.
The government’s Swimming Pool Support Fund provides a total of £60m to local authorities in England who provide public swimming leisure facilities and are feeling the pressure of increasing costs. This is the second round of funding won by the Council from the fund; £165,641 was awarded under phase one towards increased energy costs.
Councillor James Kennedy, Portfolio Holder for Climate Change, said: “The Council’s recently adopted Corporate Strategy has low cost, low carbon energy as one of its top priorities. I’m delighted that we’ve won this funding and would like to thank Council officers and Everyone Active for their hard work in preparing a successful bid, in what was a very competitive bidding process. This award will enable our public swimming facilities at Newbold Comyn to be operated with the help of clean energy, reducing both emissions and energy bills.”
Alex Fuoco-Lang, contract manager at Everyone Active, said: “We are really grateful to Warwick District Council for submitting this bid for Newbold Comyn Leisure Centre. By having rooftop solar panels installed, we are now able to reduce carbon emissions and futureproof the facility for years to come.
“Sustainability is a key priority for Everyone Active, so we are delighted to work alongside our local authority partners to implement carbon-cutting measures that contribute towards a net-zero world.”
Lisa Dodd-Mayne, Executive Director – Place at Sport England said: “Swimming pools and leisure centres are vital community resources and are enormously important in helping people to be physically active. Many pools have faced a real and significant threat to their survival this year, as local authorities and operators have battled the challenge of increased energy and wider costs, weakened reserves and difficulties with retaining staff. Sport England is proud of the role we’ve played in supporting these facilities through this difficult period.
“We hope this funding announcement will enable more public pools to improve their energy efficiency to be more environmentally and financially sustainable, so they remain available for future generations to enjoy.”
