Bedford Borough Council has been successful in securing £242,800 from the Government and Sports England as part of their Swimming Pool Support Fund for Kempston Pool.
The financing will provide solar panels on the roof and improved measurements and controls. Installing solar panels at Kempston will deliver long-term cost and energy efficiency savings. This will allow the site to become 36% self-sufficient on the electricity grid, giving the council the opportunity to invest in further energy efficiency technology and potentially battery storage to further decarbonise the site.
Managed by Sport England, the fund will provide a total of €80 million to local authorities in England as a support package for public leisure facilities with swimming pools.
Councilor Sarah Gallagher, Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Culture, said: We are delighted to have received this funding for Kempston Pool. The pool is a much-used, much-loved community asset. We recognize what a valued local community this pool is and how important swimming pools are to help our residents be physically active.
Achieving this funding demonstrates our commitment to ensuring that the borough has a leisure offering that we can all be proud of, and has been secured at a very exciting time for leisure in Bedford Borough. I am confident that Our residents have already noticed an improvement across all our Leisure sites, as we work closely with our new leisure provider – Greenwich Leisure Limited, to improve all our sites.
Swimming is a great way for people of all ages to maintain an active lifestyle, and offers many benefits for both physical and mental well-being.
Councilor Gallagher added: I would encourage residents who have not yet had the opportunity to visit their local leisure venue to do so and see the difference our investment in these facilities has made. Although the Oasis Beach Pool is currently closed to allow for essential works, we are excited about the progress being made there and will be able to announce the date for its reopening shortly.
