Grant for Weald Sports Centre, Cranbrook

The Council recently learnt that it had been successful in a bid for funding to the Government’s Swimming Pool Support Fund (SPSF).

We have been awarded a grant of £90,000 for the Weald Sports Centre which is managed by the Council’s leisure contractor Fusion. The money will be used for new pool covers and to replace fluorescent lighting with LED lighting.

Pool covers reduce heat loss which means less energy is used in reheating the water and covers also reduce evaporation and dehumidification. LED lighting in the centre will be more energy efficient and reliable. All measures that are good for the environment and cost saving for the centre.

The Council has committed to reduce emissions to net zero by 2030 and recently published a Draft Strategic Plan that says we will continue to create a cleaner, green and carbon zero future for our Borough. The SPSF funding is a step towards this carbon zero future and keeping the cost of running this important community facility down.

Lisa Dodd-Mayne, Executive Director – Place, 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.’

The SPSF has provided a total of £60 million to local authorities in England as a support package for public leisure facilities with swimming pools in two phases. Over 500 capital interventions in over 300 facilities with swimming pools have been awarded funding from the capital investment programme. The interventions include photo-voltaic cells, LED lights and pool covers as well as variety of other capital improvements aimed at improving the energy efficiency of public facilities with pools in the medium to long term. 264 local authorities have received a share of the funding, of which £20m has been provided by Sport England via the National Lottery and just over £40m has been provided by the Government as part of their commitment to support the long-term sustainability of public leisure.