East Cambridgeshire District Council has agreed to invest £230,600 in three sports centres to help them pay for vital improvements.

Ross Peers Sports Centre in Soham has received a Community Sports Fund grant of £179,500 towards the £228,000 cost of replacing the roof which leaks onto the sports hall floor.

Littleport Leisure Centre has been awarded £12,000 towards the £15,000 cost of sanding, re-sealing and re-marking its sports hall floor.

And, Ely Outdoor Sports Association, the umbrella organisation for Ely Rugby Club, Ely Hockey Club, Ely Tennis Club and a number of other clubs and groups, will receive £39,100 towards the cost of refurbishing toilets.

The money has been awarded as part of the District Council’s new £300,000 Community Sport Fund Scheme 2022-2025.

The fund has been created to enable leisure providers to make sustainable improvements to the facilities they offer residents.

Grants can be used to help pay for capital projects, such as recladding or refurbishing sports halls, or for adding new sports or IT equipment.

The money can also be spent on improving services in order to increase the number of people using each sports centre.

Councillor Julia Huffer, Chair of the Operational Services Committee which approved the grants at its meeting on 14 November 2022, said: “The Ross Peers Sports Hall, Littleport Leisure Centre and Ely Outdoor Sports Association are all self-financing with user charges generally covering their normal operating costs. But this leaves no significant reserves or funds for reinvestment in their facilities or services.

“Previously the district council invested £32,000 a year in sports centres in the form of leisure grants, which effectively helped them complete smaller, one-off projects.

“This new £300,000 pot, which replaces the Leisure Grants, will enable not-for-profit sports facilities to make significant improvements to their business, which in turn will attract more people to each sports centre.”