A CALL to back feasibility funding which may ultimately see new leisure centres in both Milford Haven and Pembroke, as well as a multi-million grant to keep Tenby’s pool running for at least a decade, has been backed by senior councillors.

At the March 16 meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council’s Cabinet, members were asked to approve a leisure investment programme including feasibility funding for new leisure centres in Pembroke and Milford Haven, along with works at Tenby leisure centre, with the aim of extending the lifespan of the trust-run swimming pool by at least 10 years.

A report for members said of Pembroke and Tenby leisure centres that “the advancing age of the buildings, combined with the end-of-life cycle of a number of key components, has now resulted in the need for a significant replacement programme across both sites”.

To replace Tenby pool on its current footprint would be approximately £27.47m, with efforts to identify a viable alternative site within the town’s catchment area unsuccessful.

For Pembroke Leisure Centre, it says costs to extend the lifespan of the 1974-built pool by 10 years would be £8,288,418.

For Milford Haven Leisure Centre, the report said a condition survey “highlights significant areas that require attention, including, for example, building structure (metal cladding, roof) and mechanical and electrical works,” with an estimated cost over a 30-year period to address all findings at some £12,677,279, £5.6m of that over the next four years.

For Tenby, the aim is to extend its lifespan by at least a decade, with a grant to the charitable trust running the pool.

Members backed a long string of recommendations, subject to future decisions of Cabinet in accordance with the governance arrangements in the Capital Strategy to approve individual projects and put them into the capital programme.

For Pembroke this includes a detailed feasibility study for a new-build Leisure Centre in Pembroke, on the current school site, providing a feasibility budget of £195,000 from reserves.

For Milford Haven,  members backed £1.2m (at risk) in the capital programme to develop a high-level leisure brief into the tender of the new English Medium primary and secondary school project in Milford Haven, and the preconstruction services to develop the project designs (to RIBA 4, Detailed Design) for a new leisure centre at the same time as the school.

For Tenby, members backed a grant of £4,606,667 to the Tenby and District Swimming Pool Association, as owner of the asset, for works to extend the lifespan of the current swimming pool by at least 10 years.

Members also backed other recommendations including £50,000 from reserves to procure external funding consultants to identify and secure as much funding as possible towards the delivery of the investment programme, and to establish a leisure operations review board to undertake a formal review of the leisure services operating model.

Community organisations in Pembrokeshire encouraged to apply for new grants supporting skills and job access

LOCAL Senedd Members Samuel Kurtz and Paul Davies are urging charities and community groups across Pembrokeshire to apply for a new round of funding aimed at helping people gain skills and access employment.

The latest round of the National Grid Electricity Distribution (NGED) Community Matters Fund has opened, offering grants to grassroots organisations supporting people who are struggling to find work or return to employment.

Delivered in partnership with Localgiving, the spring funding round will distribute £250,000 to projects designed to build skills, confidence and experience in an evolving jobs market.

Funding can support initiatives such as CV workshops, interview coaching, work placements and training opportunities. Projects helping people develop practical skills in sectors including construction, engineering, digital industries and clean energy are also eligible.

The fund is targeted at those facing barriers to employment, including young people not in education, employment or training, individuals with health conditions or disabilities, armed forces veterans, people from ethnic minority backgrounds, and those returning to work after time away due to caring responsibilities or illness.

Registered charities and non-profit companies limited by guarantee can apply for grants of up to £5,000. Constituted community groups without a charity number can apply for up to £2,000.

The funding is available to eligible organisations across the Midlands, South West England and South Wales.

Samuel Kurtz said: “This fund offers a valuable opportunity for local groups to secure support to help people gain confidence, training and work experience. I would encourage any eligible organisation in Pembrokeshire to consider applying.”

Paul Davies added: “Helping people into work and supporting them to develop new skills is vital for both individuals and our local economy. Pembrokeshire has many excellent community groups delivering this kind of support, and I hope they will take full advantage of this funding to expand their work.”

The application window opened on Monday (Mar 16) and closes at 5:00pm on Thursday (Apr 23). Successful applicants will be notified in May, with funding distributed later that month.

Further information is available via the National Grid Electricity Distribution Community Matters Fund website.

Community investors urged to help reach £12,000 target before end of March

A COMMUNITY campaign to purchase and preserve a historic Victorian corrugated cottage in Boncath has already raised £4,000 in just one week.

The fundraising effort began following a public meeting in the north Pembrokeshire village, where residents discussed plans to secure the future of the building, which has served as a community meeting space for more than 130 years.

The corrugated iron cottage has had several uses over the decades. Since the 1930s it has been used as a meeting place for Boncath Women’s Institute, while earlier records suggest it served as an office for a local sawmill. Some residents also believe the building was originally owned by a nearby mansion estate and used as a rent collection office.

At the public meeting in Boncath Village Hall, Cris Tomos from the Narberth-based community development association PLANED outlined how the purchase could be achieved through community investment.

Mr Tomos said the group had set a target of raising £12,000 by March 31, 2026. The total would cover the £10,000 purchase price of the building along with approximately £2,000 in legal and marketing costs.

He told residents that investors could benefit from tax relief through the HMRC Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme, which allows eligible UK taxpayers to reclaim 50 per cent of their investment.

Mr Tomos said: “Following the public meeting in the village hall it was agreed to set a target date of March 31 to reach the goal of raising £12,000 to buy the building. This includes the £10,000 purchase price plus £2,000 for legal and marketing costs.

“It is great to report that after just one week we have seen £4,000 raised, which is one third of the target. We now have a limited time to raise the remaining £8,000 by the end of March.”

Supporters are being asked to consider investing £500 in the project. Those who are UK taxpayers would be eligible for the 50 per cent tax relief.

Organisers say the model has already proven successful locally. The nearby community purchase of the Crymych Arms pub, just four miles away, raised £210,000 from investors to reopen the village pub.

Anyone interested in supporting the Boncath project can email [email protected] or download an investment form from the Bwthyn Boncath Facebook page.

Printed forms are also available from Boncath Village Shop and Post Office and can be returned there to be counted towards the community investment total.

If the purchase is successful, organisers say a further community share offer is planned at £50 per share to allow as many residents as possible to take an ownership stake in the historic building.