FOUR Pembrokeshire and one Whitland sports clubs will become more energy efficient thanks to grants from Sport Wales.

Sport Wales has given out a total of £1m in funding to 58 sports clubs across Wales to help them to become more energy efficient and save thousands of pounds on their energy bills and to help benefit the environment.

Pembroke & Pembroke Dock ABC will use £21,194 to install solar panels at the club. Narberth District Community Sports was given £19,622 which they will use to make Bloomfield House more energy efficient, including installing LED lighting and solar panels and upgrading the boiler. Narberth RFC was also given £25,000 which will be used to install new energy efficient heating and hot water sources in the club house.

Neyland Yacht Club received £2,172 to install energy efficient electric showers and LED lighting in the club. In Whitland, £23,360 was given to Whitland Cricket Club which will be used to install solar panels with a battery system for heating and a borehole.

READ MORE: Inspirational mum wins award named in honour of mischievous daughter

The clubs were able to apply for a grant of up to £25,000 and more than half of them will be installing solar panels. Some of the other clubs will be using the money for insulation improvements, installing energy efficient LED lighting and motion sensors, improving heating and hot water systems and sustainable water sourcing.

Brian Davies, Sport Wales’ CEO, said: “It is really important to us that Wales has financially sustainable sports clubs that can benefit the communities they serve by providing affordable activities.

“However, many sports clubs that run premises have really struggled due to the financial impact of the cost-of-living crisis, so we are really pleased to be able to support their ideas for reducing their energy consumption which could save them significant amounts of money in both the short and long term. Furthermore, such innovations are also helping to make a contribution to the climate emergency.

“We are confident that the return on our £1m investment will be several times that amount in terms of the overall financial savings generated for clubs, helping them to keep the cost of sport as low as possible for participants.

“This is the first time that we’ve ever offered an energy saving grant. Based on the demand that clubs have shown to receive such support, recognising both the environmental and financial benefits of energy saving measures, we are hopeful that we will be able to award more of these grants in the future.”

READ MORE: Narberth man in court accused of three sex assaults on woman

The grants were made possible through £10.3m worth of capital funding for 2023-24 that was allocated to Sport Wales by the Welsh Government.

Dawn Bowden, deputy minister for arts, sport and tourism, said: “It’s excellent to see the funding being allocated across the country to a wide range of sport clubs.

“With no sign of the cost of living and cost of doing business abating any time soon – it’s imperative that we help our sport clubs to become more financially sustainable for the future, so that they can continue to serve our communities and keep people active.”

All details about the energy saving grants and other sources of funding on offer from Sport Wales can be found at www.sport.wales.