Community leisure centre gets £935,000 grant

A COMMUNITY group that took over a leisure centre in Cornwall has received funding for upgrades.

The Friends of Wadebridge Leisure Centre was awarded £935,000 from the Government’s Community Ownership Fund.

The group said the grant meant decades-old equipment could be replaced.

Wadebridge’s only public pool had been under threat of closure last year until it was taken into community ownership.

A new floor in the sports hall are among the upgrades under consideration

After saving the facility, the community group said they were “absolutely staggered” by energy bills that had surged to more than £15,000 per month.

Amanda Pennington, trustee of the FOWLC, said improvements to the centre would have the added benefit of helping reduce bills.

“We are absolutely over the moon,” she said. “This funding will let us do all the things that are absolutely necessary to do because the plant here is 30 years old.

“We will be able to replace it with energy efficient, modern equipment so it will also bring our bills down which will have a very long term impact.”

The installation of a new floor in the sports hall, solar panels on the roof, a new air-handling unit and water filtration system are among the upgrades being considered