€3,481 top-up for Fermoy Leisure Centre
A further €3,481 has been allocated to Fermoy Leisure Centre as part of the final phase of the Covid-19 Swimming Pool Grant Scheme.
In combination with the December allocation of €12,887, this brings the total funding under the scheme for the Fermoy centre to €16,368.
€3,040 was allocated to Mallow Swimming Pool Complex in addition to the €11,254 December allocation, bringing their total funding through the scheme to €14,294.
Kilcoran Lodge swimming pool was also among the beneficiaries, receiving a €1,369 allocation, despite not receiving funding in the first round.
The second phase of funding was announced on Wednesday, February 17 by Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport & Media, Catherine Martin TD, and Minister of State for Sport and the Gaeltacht Jack Chambers TD who welcomed the allocation of €706,000 for swimming pool operators across the country.
The ongoing restrictions continue to cause uncertainty for swimming pool operators, which remain closed due to the current Level 5 lockdown. In December 2020 €2,386,519 was awarded to over 200 facilities.
“It continues to be a very difficult time for swimming pool operators and the funding announced today, as well as that announced in December, will provide some stability in the months ahead,” Minister Martin said.
In Tipperary town, the Sean Treacy Memorial Swimming Pool received a substantial €3,829 in addition to the previous allocation of €14,175, meaning the facility received a total of €18,004 under the Swimming Pool Grant Scheme.
CHALLENGES TO THE SECTOR
“In 2019 the Irish Sports Monitor identified swimming as the second most popular sport amongst adults. While pools have been closed due to the public health restrictions, this funding will help them to emerge from this crisis ready to welcome people back as soon as is safe to do so,” Minister Jack Chambers said.
The final phase of funding also saw Clonmel Swimming Pool receive €2,831 in funding, on top of €10,481 from phase 1 funding, bringing the total to €13,312, while the Clonmel Park Hotel Leisure Centre was allocated €2,669 in addition to €9,880 phase 1 funding, seeing the centre receive a total of €12,549 in grant aid under the scheme.
Sport Ireland appointed Ireland Active, the representative body for the leisure, health and fitness sector, to administer the swimming pool grant scheme, supported by partners Swim Ireland.
The €2.5m funding scheme was announced as part of the July Stimulus package which aimed to support publicly accessible swimming pools respond to the challenge associated with maintaining swimming pools and the effort to reopen and remain open, within Covid-19 safety protocols, and to promote participation in the sport of swimming.
“The high cost of maintaining pools while closed and the difficulty of reopening at reduced capacity is acknowledged by the Government and Sport Ireland. We are working with Ireland Active and Swim Ireland to ensure that pools are in a position to reopen to their communities in line with public health advice,” said John Treacy, Chief Executive of Sport Ireland.