After being closed by Newcastle City Council in 2003, Fenham Swimming Pool was re-opened two years later as a charitable organisation with the support of the local community.
The charity continues to look for ways to reduce running costs in order to deliver a self-financing service for users of the facility and in 2012 they decided to install 53kW of solar thermal panels. This was supported by grant funding and a £16,300 loan from Pure Leapfrog and has reduced the running costs of the centre, enabling them to provide a clean and welcoming environment for the local community to swim in.
The project generates nearly £50,000 of community benefit and will save 239 tonnes of carbon over the project lifetime. The number of people using the pool per year has increased rom 76,000 to 80,000.
The funding from Pure Leapfrog will ensure that the pool can go continue serving the local community in the future. The difference the panels made to the pool bills was particularly noticeable during the winter months.
For more information on the project, please have a look at the case study.