Thamesmere Leisure Centre swimming pool to get £380,000 heating upgrade

Improvement works on the swimming pool at Thamesmere Leisure Centre are set to begin this month. The council will install a new combined heat and power system, and replace the existing gas boilers, which are over 20 years old. 

The works will be funded by a grant from Sport England and the Government’s capital investment programme. 

A council spokesperson said: “Thamesmere Leisure Centre swimming pool is a much-loved community asset that helps local people of all ages stay active, socialise and have fun.  

“These improvements will boost the facility’s energy efficiency, making it financially and environmentally sustainable so that residents can continue to access the mental and physical health benefits of swimming for years to come.  

“We’re committed to making sure our resident’s health supports them in living their best lives and continue to invest in sport and leisure to provide quality facilities to local people." 

Lisa Dodd-Mayne, Executive Director of 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.” 

 Over 300 facilities with swimming pools have been awarded funding from the Government and Sport England’s £60m 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. 

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