A grant of £234,000 from phase two of the Sport England Swimming Pool Support Fund was awarded to the Council for the leisure centre - which is operated by Everyone Active - last year for the installation of the panels, which are predicted to save 28.3 tonnes of carbon emissions and provide an energy bill saving of around £31,931 per year.

The government’s Swimming Pool Support Fund provides a total of £60m to local authorities in England who provide public swimming leisure facilities and are feeling the pressure of increasing costs. This is the second round of funding won by the Council from the fund; £165,641 was awarded under phase one towards increased energy costs.

Leisure Energy has acted as Principal Contractor and Designer on the installation and assisted with the funding application.

Councillor Lowell Williams, Portfolio Holder for Decarbonisation, said: “The Council’s Corporate Strategy has low cost, low carbon energy as one of its top priorities, with the decarbonisation of our public buildings high on that agenda.

“I’m delighted to see that the installation has now been completed, and that our public swimming facilities at Newbold Comyn are operated with the help of clean energy, reducing both emissions and energy bills.”

Peggy Lee, Group Sustainability Manager for Everyone Active, said: “It is great news to have more onsite renewable energy generation, which will further reduce the centre’s carbon footprint going forward. Everyone Active is proud to work alongside the Council in meeting their net zero ambitions, which is the most important part of our own net zero strategy.”

Graham Clarkson, Chairman at Leisure Energy, said: "We are proud to have worked with the Council and Everyone Active on this project and to assist with their decarbonisation goals which will help to ensure the longevity of the centre for future generations.”