Over £500k To Fund Leisure Centre’s Solar Panels

Over 700 solar panels will be placed on Harborough Leisure Centre after funding of over half-a-million pounds was secured to make the building more environmentally-friendly.

New energy-saving LED lighting will also be installed thanks to the grant from Sport England, following a successful bid by the Harborough District Council and centre operator Everyone Active.

Harborough Leisure Centre

The move will cut the facility’s energy costs by around £68,000 annually and cut carbon emissions by over 623 tonnes a year.

The successful funding bid for £535,773 follows confirmation last year that other improvements totalling £5.9m will be made to both Harborough Leisure Centre and Lutterworth Sports Centre.

Cllr Simon Galton is the council’s deputy leader and spoke to HFM:

The council declared a Climate Emergency in June 2019 and has since been working to deliver commitments to reduce its own emission to net zero, as far as possible, by 2030. The commitment also supports resident, businesses, and communities locally to reduce their emissions too.

The new funding will help drive down rising energy costs whilst supporting the Council’s ambitious climate targets.

Matthew Hopkin, Everyone Active’s contract manager, said: “We are delighted to have supported Harborough District Council’s successful bid for Sport England funding and it is great news that this project will further reduce the centre’s carbon footprint.

“Everyone Active is proud to work alongside the council, as part of our Net Zero Strategy, to help achieve our company’s net zero ambitions.”