Dronfield Sports Centre’s £70k funding boost

Dronfield Sports Centre is to benefit from a £69,897 funding boost, to help it reduce energy and save money.

The grant has come from Phase II of the Government’s Swimming Pool Support Fund (SPSF) – a £60m capital investment programme administered by Sport England, to improve the energy efficiency of public facilities with pools.

Dronfield will use its share of the money to pay for new pool covers and variable speed filtration – both of which will help to reduce running costs and save energy.

Cllr Steve Pickering, Cabinet Member for Environment and Place at North East Derbyshire District Council, said: “We are always looking for ways to improve the energy and cost efficiency of our buildings and this is another great example of that.

“Dronfield already has air source heat pumps (to be commissioned June 2024), solar panels, LED lighting and cavity wall insulation, so these latest improvements will help to make it even greener!”

Pool covers are put on overnight to insulate the pool and reduce heat loss and evaporation, which means heating the pool and surrounding area can also be reduced.

While variable speed filtration means the rate of flow of pool water can be decreased overnight, in turn cutting the energy used by the pool pumps which run 24/7.

Cllr Kathy Rouse, NEDDC’s Cabinet Member for Leisure, said: “I’m delighted we have been able to secure this money to improve Dronfield Sports Centre even further.

“We are listening to our customers and improving the facilities all the time. More improvements are on the way with a dedicated app, gym upgrades and of course, the new Clay Cross Active.”

It is hoped the pool improvements at Dronfield will be in place by the end of the year.

More information about North East Derbyshire District Council’s leisure facilities can be found on its website: www.ne-derbyshire.gov.uk/leisure Residents are also reminded they can sign-up to receive regular email updates via the website.