Doncaster swimming pool one of over 300 to benefit from £60m to support long-term future

Among these is Adwick Leisure Complex which will receive £384,497 to replace 20 year old gas boilers with new ones.

Hundreds of facilities have received Government investment to help improve the energy efficiency of their pools and leisure centres. Measures being supported by the latest Swimming Pool Support Fund investment include funding for new heating systems, solar panels, better insulation and other energy saving interventions.

Swimming is a great way for people of all ages to stay active, with positive impacts on physical and mental health, as demonstrated by Swim England’s 2022 Value of Swimming report. This investment in the financial sustainability of hundreds of swimming pools will help ensure that the more than 58 million visits to these facilities each year are protected, helping improve the health of the nation.

With the increase in energy costs over recent years, the Government has recognised the importance of these facilities to people of all ages, and stepped in to make sure the doors of local pools and leisure centres are kept open for local communities.

The latest round of funding is intended to help the longer term energy and financial resilience of the sector, with 96 per cent of applicants for the latest round being successful in the application for Government and Sport England funding.

In total, this means that 442 swimming pools in 367 local authorities will have benefited from a share of £80 million funding since the fund was announced in last year’s budget. The first £20 million of funding from Phase I the Swimming Pool Support Fund went to swimming pools and leisure centres most at risk of closure or significant service reduction in November, with 196 facilities benefitting.

Sports Minister Stuart Andrew said: “We are sticking to our plan to get millions more people active by 2030, because we know that active people are fitter, happier and healthier.

“Millions of people swim every year in England, but increased energy costs mean some pools are struggling financially.

“This further £60 million of support from the Government and Sport England will ensure hundreds of swimming pools can lower their operating costs in the long run, and continue to provide an important service for communities across the country.”

Successful applicants have been funded to make renovations to facilities which are expected to reduce their energy consumption, and in their applications needed to outline why the interventions were appropriate and deliverable. Other criteria for selection included an assessment of the expected energy saving, distances from other pools, and the strategic importance of each site at a local level.

Interventions for this phase of the SPSF includes insulation and pool covers, solar panels and energy efficient lighting in an effort to keep overheads down, and has been boosted by an extra £20 million of Sport England National Lottery funding to help even more facilities.