Solar panels have been installed on the roof of Parklands Leisure Centre in Oadby, supporting Oadby & Wigston’s climate goals.

Oadby & Wigston Borough Council (OWBC) secured a £156,704 grant from Sport England’s Swimming Pool Support Fund earlier this year to install the panels.

The panels are now generating clean energy and are expected to cover around 20% of the centre’s annual energy consumption, cutting CO2 emissions by 12.65 tonnes each year – the equivalent of planting 581 trees.

The panels follow last year’s successful installation at Wigston Pool and Fitness Centre, funded by a £184,050 grant from the same Sport England programme

With the panels now fully operational, the benefits go beyond environmental impact, delivering substantial energy cost savings for Parklands Leisure Centre and providing resilience against fluctuations in the energy market.

Both Parklands Leisure Centre and Wigston Pool and Fitness Centre are owned by OWBC and managed by Everyone Active, and the panels were installed by contractors Leisure Energy.

Councillor Bill Boulter, Chair of Service Delivery Committee at OWBC, said: “Installing solar panels is a forward-thinking move that reflects our ambition to create a greener, more sustainable borough.

“I’m delighted to see the panels at Parklands Leisure Centre now up and running, joining Wigston Pool and Fitness Centre in harnessing renewable energy.

“These solar panels will help cut energy costs, reduce reliance on fossil fuels and support our climate goals, creating a more sustainable future for our residents and setting an example for our communities to follow.”

James Naylor, Everyone Active’s area contract manager, said: “It is great news that these investments are reducing the centre’s carbon footprint..

Everyone Active is proud to work alongside OWBC, as part of our net zero strategy, to help achieve our company’s net zero ambitions.”

Mike Worsnop, Director at Leisure Energy said: “Leisure Energy have been working with OWBC as Principal Contractor for the installation of the solar panels at both leisure facilities.

“We are pleased that we could assist the local authority in lowering their energy costs and carbon emissions via the provision of clean and renewable electricity whilst ensuring community buildings are sustainable for future generations.”

The Swimming Pool Support Fund was introduced by the Government to help leisure facilities cope with rising energy costs and to invest in long-term solutions that reduce future bills.

Leisure Energy were recognised by the Energy Managers Association for the K2 Crawley Solar Car Port installation at the Energy Management Awards on the 7th November 2025.

We were awarded Highly Recommended for the Energy Efficiency Project of the Year. The complexity of the car park car port installation within a live leisure environment and the subsequent associated energy and cost savings from the electricity generated by the panels was highlighted within our submission.

This project involved a successful partnership with Crawley Borough Council and Everyone Active – SLM and our solar installers, RenEnergy UK.

Leisure Energy continue to invest in their staff and are pleased to share that Melissa Marsden, Assistant Project Manager, on her recent successful completion of the APM Project Fundamentals Qualification, a formal accreditation based on existing knowledge within the work environment.