More than £100,000 Government cash has been secured to help the transition to green energy for Barton’s swimming pool.
The pool at Baysgarth Community Hub is one of 100 across England which received a share of £20m central Government funding, with a further £40m due in the coming months.
Cllr Rob Waltham, leader, North Lincolnshire Council, said: “This Government cash will go a long way to ensuring we continue to create a more sustainable future for leisure facilities meaning residents can enjoy the benefits.
“It is the latest in a long line of support we have received from Government to ensure we can continue to provide the facilities residents tell us they want and need and will add to the cash we are already using locally.”
The council recently invested £5m in community hubs in Ashby, Scunthorpe, Barton, Brigg and across the Isle of Axholme – with Epworth’s new hub set to get new solar panels installed.
The four-lane, 20 metre swimming pool at Baysgarth Community Hub is open daily and offers a wide range of activities including casual and lane swimming, swimming lessons, pool parties, fun splash activities, aqua fitness classes and water-based exercises – the full timetable is here.
Cllr Carl Sherwood, cabinet member for safer, stronger rural communities, said: “Swimming is a valuable life skill for people of all ages, important for safety and both physical and mental health.
“Across the whole of North Lincolnshire there are a range of facilities available to people to keep themselves fit and healthy, to keep their children entertained with our free-swimming sessions during summer and often, just as a place to stay connected to friends and family.”
Announcing the money, Sports Minister Stuart Andrew MP said: “Leisure centres and pools are vital for millions of people to stay fit and healthy, and we know that many public swimming pools are experiencing greater pressure due to increased operating costs.”
The announcement was welcomed by five-time Olympic Swimmer Mark Foster. He said: “Swimming pools are at the heart of communities, and there are so many reasons why this funding to keep almost 200 open in England is so important.
“From babies and children learning to swim, to older adults using their local pool to get active and socialise, swimming has a huge range of benefits and I am a passionate advocate for investment in the grassroots.”
Executive Director for Place, Sport England, Lisa Dodd-Mayne said: “We know just how vital swimming pools and leisure centres are to our nation’s activity levels, which is why Sport England is proud to have played a central role in the delivery of this fund.”
This cash comes after the £100m National Leisure Centre Recovery Fund which has secured the survival and reopening of more than 1,100 swimming pools since 2019, with over 100 new facilities also being opened.
