JUST eight months after trustees of Cardigan’s swimming pool warned that they are one more big maintenance issue away from permanent closure, it has been announced that more than £200,000 has been made available in grant cash in a bid to secure the future of the building for the town.

Cardigan Memorial Swimming Pool and Hall Trust, which looks after the facility opened in 1977, submitted a bid for Sports Wales funding back in August.

A report set to go before Ceredigion County Council’s on 10 January as the Cambrian News went to press shows that the trust was successful in securing £207,262 towards the total estimated cost of the project of £230,291.

The rest of the cost is to be self-funded.

The funding will see a new air handling unit installed, along with a new insulated roof above the toddler/hydrotherapy pool, and the installation of new boilers.

Pool covers and a motorised roller will also be added, with the installation of

an automatic chlorinator, new fire doors and a new heat exchanger for the toddler pool.

Cash will also be used for the buying of materials for the re-decoration of the facility.

A Cabinet report said: “The aim of the project is to ensure the future sustainability of Cardigan Memorial Pool and Hall.

“The project is essential because existing systems are antiquated and inefficient.

“The project will result in a reduction in energy consumption and costs, better use of resources, and a reduction in the facility’s carbon footprint.

“It will also ensure the facility operates safely and economically in accordance with best practice and current legislation.

“Like most leisure facilities, there has been a lack of capital investment in recent years at Cardigan Memorial Pool and Hall.

“The works identified prioritise improving the energy efficiency of the building, which will reduce their running costs and make them more sustainable.

“The aim is to ensure that they are able to continue to provide opportunities for the public to be physically active for years to come.”

Back in May, Matt Newland, chair of the trustees, warned that “any significant breakdown” would cause “financial headaches”, with the rising cost of energy meaning bills rising through the roof at the inefficient 45-year-old building.

Ceredigion County Council Cabinet members were asked to serve in an intermediary role as banker for the grant cash.