Grant aid to make Tullamore swimming pool more accessible and energy efficient

A grant of just under €170,000 has been allocated to Tullamore Leisure Centre swimming pool by Minister for State for Tourism and Sport Michael Ring. Total grant aid of €167,580 can be used to both improve access to the facility for people with disabilities and make it more energy efficient and less reliant on State support. Local deputy Marcella Corcoran Kennedy welcomed the announcement this week, saying the pool is one of just 19 countrywide to get grant aid totalling €4.4 million. Works to improve access for people with disabilities financed by the grand can include providing ramps and hoists, widening doorways and adding changing facilities, which Deputy Corcoran Kennedy said will ensure equal access to people of all ages and abilities to the health and well-being that being in the water brings. The funds can also be used to make the swimming pool more energy efficient. "Large heating bills are the single biggest challenge in running a swimming pool or leisure centre so by making them more efficient, we are also reducing the burden on taxpayers by cutting back on energy and water requirements," Deputy Corcoran Kennedy said. "It's particularly welcome that the grants will have a positive effect on employment levels, helping to sustain jobs and in some cases create new ones," she added.