Over £150,000 has been spent to help a Cumbrian leisure centre reduce its carbon footprint.
A new LED lighting system has been installed at Barrow Park Leisure Centre, plus its floodlights upgraded in its car parks and all weather pitches.
It has more than halved the electrical cost from lighting the site and reduced CO2 emissions, leisure centre bosses said.
The centre, which is managed by Westmorland and Furness Council, is also supporting the transition from diesel and petrol to electric vehicles, by installing two electric vehicle charge points in the car park.
The works were part-funded through the Low Carbon Barrow scheme, which encouraged businesses and organisations across Barrow to apply for grants of between £1,000 and £10,000 towards up to two thirds of the costs of taking measures to tackle climate change.
Low Carbon Barrow, which ran for two years and ended in March, was funded by the England European Regional Development Fund and Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership.
It was delivered in partnership with local organisation Art Gene, which led on the distribution of grants and processed applications that were independently assessed by an expert panel.
Westmorland and Furness Council has a key Council Plan priority to provide leadership in the drive for the area to become carbon net zero by 2037.
Cabinet member for climate and biodiversity, Councillor Giles Archibald, said: “The new low energy lighting at the leisure centre demonstrates our determination as a council to take action on climate change.
“It also highlights the value Low Carbon Barrow has had in supporting businesses and organisations to take these measures and the great work that Art Gene and Barrow Borough Council did in delivering the programme.
“This is the latest example of our work to decarbonise our own assets, and follows on from the installation of solar panels on many of our buildings and introducing EV charging points in many of our car parks.
“We are also addressing biodiversity loss by encouraging better land management, habitat creation, tree planting and net biodiversity gain in new housing developments.’’
