Sport Wales has announced details of how more than £3m worth of funding will be spent on making improvements at community sports facilities and leisure centres across Wales in the next few months.
Over £1.8m has been awarded to local authorities and leisure trusts so that a number of leisure centres can become more energy efficient – helping activities to remain affordable for communities to enjoy.
A further £1.3m has been awarded to 13 projects that will make opportunities to play sports including athletics, basketball and cricket more accessible and enjoyable.
All of the grants have been made possible thanks to a total £10.3m worth of capital funding for 2023-24 which has been allocated to Sport Wales by the Welsh Government.
Here are the full details about each project that has been awarded funding…
Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council
Tredegar Sports Centre
Awarded £123,693 for energy-saving measures.
The air handling unit at Tredegar Sports Centre will be replaced, supporting their journey to net zero. The new unit will have a dehumidification system to make breathing more comfortable, while being less-energy intensive lowering bills and carbon emissions.
Bridgend County Borough Council
Ogmore Valley Centre
Awarded £97,200 for facility upgrades.
The centre will undergo essential improvements, including upgrading their disabled changing facilities, and refurbishment of the sports hall floor.
Cardiff Council
Cardiff International Pool
Awarded £57,899 for decarbonization projects.
They will install destratification fans, which will reduce heating expenses and promote a more consistent temperature and air quality. Additionally, smaller fans will be installed in the gym area to enhance air circulation and reduce air conditioning loads, creating better conditions for physical activities.
What are destratification fans and why do leisure centres need them?
Conwy County Borough Council
Eirias Hockey Club
Awarded £54,000 to improve facilities at the club.
The funding will be used to install new LED lighting, which will make the site more environmentally friendly and energy efficient.
Gwynedd Council
Byw’n Iach Swimming Pools
Awarded £27,273 for pool covers.
With the grant, three pool covers will be bought for the Byw’n Iach swimming pools at their Glaslyn, Arfon and Dwyfor centres. The covers will help them reduce their running costs and become more sustainable as they will save energy and conserve water.
Neath Port Talbot Council
Neath Sports Centre, Pontardawe Leisure Centre, and the Vale of Neath Leisure Centre
Awarded £200,000 for energy-saving measures.
Neath Port Talbot Council will significantly improve the energy and carbon performance of three leisure centres with LED lighting and control projects. The project will improve lighting, reduce running costs, assist in alleviating high energy costs and reduce CO2 emissions.
Pembrokeshire County Council
Pembroke Swimming Pool
Awarded £225,000 for facility upgrades and energy efficiency improvements.
As part of a wider refurbishment, funding has been awarded to help make the facility much more energy efficient. The developments will ensure that the pool continues to be operational for the local community and around 1,000 school children who swim there regularly.
Powys County Council
Freedom Leisure Centres
Awarded £97,928 for energy-saving measures.
Powys County Council and Freedom Leisure will work collaboratively and install air de-stratification fans in ten local leisure centres. These fans will help minimise energy use by balancing the internal temperatures of the pool halls.
Builth Wells Swimming Pool
Awarded £31,852 for solar panels and insulation.
Builth Wells swimming pool will install solar panels and loft insulation to maximise the efficiency of the building and reduce gas and electricity costs.
Rhayader Leisure Centre
Awarded £61,626 for solar panels and LED lighting.
Rhayader Leisure Centre will install solar panels and LED lighting which will reduce the running costs and emissions of the leisure centre – helping it become more energy efficient and rely less on fossil fuels.
Swansea Council
LC Swansea, Penlan and Penyrheol Leisure Centre, and Elba Sports Complex
Awarded £51,215 for energy-saving improvements.
Freedom Leisure centres across Swansea will have improvements made thanks to the funding. All sites will have destratification fans installed, which will allow for the pools to run more efficiently.
Vale of Glamorgan Council
Colcot Sports Centre (Barry)
Awarded £76,500 to refurbish the gym flooring.
Improvements to the flooring will make it suitable for people with mobility issues, including wheelchair users. They will also upgrade their basketball hoops and cricket nets to enable six new clubs to play both sports at the centre.
Llantwit Major Leisure Centre
Awarded £81,000 to upgrade the pool facilities.
Llantwit Major Leisure Centre will use the funding to replace the pool air handling unit, which will enhance energy efficiency, reduce energy consumption, and support decarbonisation of the facilities.
Wrexham County Borough Council
Ysgol Clywedog Sports Centre, Ysgol Rhosnesni Sports Centre, Gwyn Evans Sport Centre, and Chirk Leisure Centre
Awarded £22,351 for replacement pool covers.
Replacement pool covers will be bought for the pools at two leisure centres as well as at two dual use school facilities. The covers will help to reduce running costs at each centre so that they can continue to provide much-valued activities.
Gwyn Evans Sports Centre (Wrexham), Chirk Leisure Centre and Waterworld Wrexham
Awarded £37,800 to help reduce energy use.
Installation of air de-stratification fans will help balance internal temperatures in rooms with tall ceilings to reduce energy use, allowing leisure centres to reduce costs and lower environmental impact on the planet.
Plas Madoc Leisure Centre (Wrexham)
Awarded £127, 513 for energy-saving improvements.
A new heating and ventilation system and LED lighting upgrades will be funded to improve the energy efficiency and sustainability of Plas Madoc Leisure Centre.
Ynys Mon County Council
Ysgol Uwchradd Bodedern
Awarded £100,000 for floodlights.
The floodlights will be installed at their 3G and 2G pitches. The pitches are used during the day by local schools, but new lights will enable training outside of daylight in the darker months and open to the public outside of school hours.
Holyhead Leisure Centre
Awarded £100,000 to replace flooring.
The hall flooring will be replaced to ensure a safe environment for the users, local clubs, classes, competitions and parties during the week and school holidays.
Denbighshire Leisure Ltd.
Prestatyn Leisure Centre
Awarded £225,000 for an interactive studio.
The leisure centre will install a PRAMA studio. The studio is an immersive circuit training programme combining music, lighting, and interactive walls and flooring to offer over 2,500 fun, unique workouts.
Find out more about PRAMA by Pavigym.
Urdd Gobaith Cymru
Glan-llyn Swimming Pool
Awarded £12,600 for energy-saving measures.
Glan-llyn Swimming Pool will install solar panels to reduce the carbon footprint and save energy costs, in turn, the pool can be open for longer hours.
Basketball Wales
Flint, Roath Park (Cardiff) and Swansea Outdoor Basketball Courts
Awarded £99,000 for court renovations.
The outdoor basketball courts will be renovated as part of the Basketball Wales outdoor court strategy in response to demand.
Table Tennis Wales
National
Awarded £34,884 to make table tennis more accessible to young people.
Table tennis tables and barriers will be purchased for regional hubs across Wales, aimed at increasing junior participation.
Tennis Wales
Byw’n Iach Arfon Centre
Awarded £117,784 for resurfacing and energy-saving measures.
The indoor tennis courts at Byw’n Iach Arfon Centre will be resurfaced and energy-saving LED lights will also be installed.
Various Locations
Awarded £176,006 for tennis court renovations.
Tennis courts at various locations in Wales, including Rumney Hill Gardens in Cardiff, will be renovated. The renovations will develop a sustainable model protecting courts for the future, and the income generated will build a sinking fund for maintenance and long-term resurfacing costs.
Welsh Hockey
National
Awarded £65,000 for rebound boards.
To help provide more opportunities for the small-sided 5s version of hockey to be played in Wales, Hockey Wales will use the grant to buy sets of 5s rebound boards (which are used to create a surround for the pitches). The sets will be kept across Wales in locations TBC.
Welsh Boxing
National
Awarded £30,000 for multi-sport wheelchairs.
To help make boxing more inclusive, 20 multi-sport wheelchairs will be bought which will enable people with lower limb and spinal issues to take part in basic boxing. The chairs will also be available for other sports to borrow.
Cricket Wales
Swansea Mosque Community Sports Hall
Awarded £68,160 for cricket equipment.
Cricket Wales will use the funding to transform the Swansea Mosque Community Sports Hall into an indoor cricket facility, complete with nets, as well as being a venue suitable for other sports.
Welsh Athletics
Cwrt Herbert Track (Neath)
Awarded £225,000 for track replacement.
Welsh Athletics will replace the Cwrt Herbert track, which is home to many running clubs as well as training for football, rugby, and triathlon clubs. Upgrading this facility will enable greater capacity for usage, host competitions and participation opportunities for young people, support high quality experiences, and support elite athlete development.
