Thirty projects will receive a share of £3.1m to help make sport and physical activity more welcoming, fun and inclusive for everyone in Wales.
Using capital funding from Welsh Government, the investment by Sport Wales into facilities will enable more opportunities for people to enjoy sports ranging from BMX to boxing, netball and fencing.
Organisations including sport governing bodies and local authorities were invited to apply for the funding, and Sport Wales prioritised projects that would make sport more accessible for those who need it most.
For example, Welsh Boxing are targeting young people from less affluent communities. With their grant of £40,000, they’re buying eight new boxing rings – four of which will be pop-up rings that can be used at events and in communities right across the country.
The Welsh Target Shooting Federation are also taking their sport on the road to capture young people’s imaginations. A £37,399 grant will be spent on an upgraded mobile shooting range that can be used to try out the sport in a fun and controlled environment.
With an eye on the long-term future of leisure facilities, as well as the climate crisis, more than £1.2m of the total funding was awarded by Sport Wales to a selection of councils and leisure trusts who submitted proposals for making their facilities more energy efficient. The associated cost-savings of moving towards ‘green energy’ will help to safeguard the futures of facilities which are so valued by the communities they serve.
In Blaenau Gwent, a £261,558 grant will pay for the installation of solar panels at the Abertillery and Tredegar Sports Centres. The local authority estimates that the solar panels will cut their energy bills by more than £50,000 a year, as well as generating significant carbon savings.
The Gwyn Evans Leisure centre in Wrexham and The Flash Leisure Centre in Welshpool will also benefit from new solar panels, while Caerphilly County Borough Council will receive nearly £100,000 to upgrade both the Bedwas Leisure Centre and the Centre for Sporting Excellence in Ystrad Mynach with modern LED floodlights.
Brian Davies, Sport Wales’ Acting CEO, said: “We’re delighted to be able to invest this additional funding from Welsh Government. All of these projects are led by the needs of our communities and will help to make sporting activities more welcoming and more accessible. I’m particularly excited by the energy-saving projects that we have been able to support as these initiatives will save facilities large sums of money in the long run, enabling them to become more financially sustainable and able to provide affordable activities for their members. They will also support the fight against climate change to ensure that we deliver an environment in which sport can continue to thrive for future generations.”
Deputy Minister for Arts and Sport, Dawn Bowden, said: “Investing in sporting facilities is a key commitment in our Programme for Government and is integral to our nation’s health and wellbeing, we have committed £24m in capital funding over the next three years (2022-25) to Sport Wales to develop facilities across Wales. This funding, demonstrates the value we continue to place on our sports facilities as environments that create inclusive opportunities for communities and people to enjoy the physical and mental benefits of sport.”
