Sport Wales investing £3m in upgrading facilities

Sport Wales is investing £3m in making improvements at community sports facilities and leisure centres across Wales in the next few months.

The funding will be split between two main areas of focus – making buildings more environmentally-friendly and improving accessibility to sport for all.

A total of 30 leisure centres will share £1.8m of upgrades aimed at reducing running costs through eco-friendly solutions. An example of the way the money will be spent include a £200,000 grant awarded to Neath Port Talbot Council, which will enable energy efficient LED lighting to be installed at the leisure centres in Neath, Pontardawe and the Vale of Neath.

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.

Other projects include Welsh Boxing being awarded £30,000 to buy 20 multi-sport wheelchairs, Basketball Wales receiving £99,000 grant to renovate popular outdoor courts in Flint, Cardiff and Swansea.

Elsewhere, Welsh Athletics has been awarded £225,000 to replace the Cwrt Herbert track in Neath.

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. Local authorities and sport governing bodies were invited to apply for funding in the autumn and Sport Wales prioritised projects that would make sport and physical activity more accessible for those who need it most.

Brian Davies, Sport Wales CEO, said: “The cost-of-living crisis, combined with the climate emergency, makes it more pressing than ever for investments to be made into leisure centre facilities which are so valued by the communities they serve.

“Each of these projects will significantly reduce long-term running costs at leisure facilities, enabling them to become more financially sustainable and able to continue providing affordable activities for local people. These projects will also generate sizeable carbon savings, helping to support Wales’ climate change targets.”