A leisure centre in Mansfield has had new solar panels installed as part of an ongoing commitment to make it both greener and to save running costs.

Work commenced at Rebecca Adlington Leisure Centre in February last year and concluded in March 2025. The delivery of the scheme was made possible thanks to the government’s Swimming Pool Support Fund (SPSF).

A total of £55,000 was awarded to Mansfield District Council to install new solar panels on the roof of the building and a further £6,500 to install additional monitoring software for improved energy management.

The solar panel installation follows an additional £550,000 investment in the leisure centre from the council to improve its energy efficiency and to reduce operating costs from the public purse. Throughout autumn and winter in 2024, a new roof was installed, improved insulation was added, and new air handling units were fitted.

Coun Andy Burgin, portfolio holder for Environment and Leisure, said: “This is just another step in the right direction to make our council assets greener and more energy efficient for the benefit of our residents. It is also imperative that we spend public money wisely. With ongoing high energy prices, this installation will reduce the centre’s operating costs, saving the council, and ultimately, residents money.

“These works also follow on from the installation of the ground source heat pump, which we installed in February 2023 to save carbon emissions and reduce the council’s carbon footprint across the district.

“By investing in renewable energy sources like solar power, we are future-proofing our facilities and demonstrating our commitment to tackling climate change at a local level.”

Previous commitments from the council in improving and investing in the energy efficiency of its leisure centres include:

• Water Meadows solar panel installation, new air handling units and LED lighting replacement schemes completed in the last two years. This has seen an improvement in the building energy efficiency rating undertaken in January 2025 with a B classification, previously C.
• Oak Tree Leisure Centre has also had new boilers and solar panel installations in 2022 to improve its energy efficiency and consumption.

Lisa Dodd-Mayne, executive director – Place at Sport England, added: “Swimming pools and leisure centres are vital community resources and are enormously important in helping people to be physically active.

“Sport England is proud of the role we play in supporting these facilities. The investment from the Government’s Swimming Pool Support Fund at Rebecca Adlington Leisure Centre will help improve energy efficiency and enable the centre to be more environmentally and financially sustainable so it remains available for future generations to enjoy.”

The funding which the council was successfully awarded is the second phase of the SPSF, which has seen a total of £60m made available to help public swimming pools cope with increased running costs as well as make them greener.

Brian Taylor, chair of More Leisure Community Trust, which operates four Mansfield facilities in partnership with Serco Leisure, said: “The leisure centres we operate on behalf of the council are community hubs, which play a vital role in supporting local people to stay active and well.

“This latest energy efficiency investment from the council goes a long way to ensuring the long-term sustainability of these facilities, and we thank them for their ongoing commitment to the health and wellbeing of the people of Mansfield.”