Gainsborough's West Lindsey Leisure Centre goes green with solar power

West Lindsey District Council was awarded £401,500 funding from phase II of the Government’s Swimming Pool Support Fund last year to support the council’s existing policy of incorporating solar power whenever possible on its buildings.

Coun Stephen Bunney, chairman of Council’s Environment, Sustainability and Climate Change working group, was delighted to see the work has started.

He said: “Utilising the roof space for solar power at West Lindsey Leisure Centre demonstrates our commitment to energy efficiency and sustainability.

“This project not only reduces the energy costs on the public building, but the improvements to our sports and leisure facilities is a significant boost for the area and showcases our commitment to physical activities in West Lindsey.

“This is a great step forward for our community, promoting both health and environmental wellbeing.”

West Lindsey Leisure Centre in Gainsborough is run by Everyone Active and provides important access to a number of leisure facilities for residents across the district.

Peter Smith, Contract manager at Everyone Active, said: “It is great news that these investments will reduce the centre’s carbon footprint going forward.

“Everyone Active is proud to work alongside West Lindsey District Council, as part of our Net Zero strategy, to help achieve our company’s net Zero ambitions.”

Once completed, the solar panels will save an approximate 12 tonnes of carbon, which is equivalent to planting 1,920 trees and a saving of 221 MWh of annual energy production, which is the equivalent of the energy used by dozens of homes each year.

Matt Jones, Project manager at Leisure Energy, said: “We are proud to be working with West Lindsey District Council on the installation of solar panels, which will assist with the council’s net zero targets and provide a sustainable leisure facility for future generations.”

In November 2019, the council pledged to make the council’s activities net-zero carbon by 2050. The latest implementation of solar panels is just one of the many initiatives West Lindsey District Council and Everyone Active have made to reduce the energy consumption of the leisure centre.

Other initiatives include changing to more energy efficient equipment such as LED lighting, water saving devices, light sensors and installation pool covers to reduce energy wastage.