A struggling community sports facility has been given an 'Olympic Overhaul' with the help of Olympian Greg Rutherford and TV star Mark Wright.
They visited the Yeovil Athletics Arena, in Somerset, alongside Team GB swimmer James Guy and ParalympicsGB athlete Aled Davies, which was on the verge of closure earlier this year due to financial pressures.
Almost 15,000 locals signed a petition to save the club due to being left on the brink as part of efforts by Somerset County Council to save £100 million.
British Gas [https://www.britishgas.co.uk/about-us/partnerships] responded by implementing high-tech, energy-efficient upgrades that not only secured the club's future - but also significantly reduced its operating costs.
It comes after research, of 2,000 adults, found 88 per cent consider their local sports hub a fundamental part of their community.
But 35 per cent believe theirs is 'outdated', and 41 per cent worry it could be shut down without further funding.
The transformation is part of the brand’s broader effort of ‘Powering Home Fans’, a purpose-driven initiative launched in the run-up to the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Through their long-term partnership with Team GB and ParalympicsGB, the energy provider is looking to drive positive change in local communities by promoting sustainable energy use and supporting communities through sport.
Speaking at the revamped club, British Gas project ambassador Mark Wright, said: "It's fantastic to see this sporting facility get a much-needed refresh.
“These places are crucial for physical and mental health and bring people together.
“With the Olympic and Paralympic Games around the corner, these upgraded facilities will inspire young people to pursue their dreams of competing at an elite level."
The recent enhancements to the club's facilities, encompassing the installation of new solar panels, improved insulation, new doors and windows, external cladding - and a comprehensive makeover of the clubhouse, bathrooms, and changing rooms, have transformed it into a modern, sustainable, accessible and future-proof hub.
These upgrades are projected to save up to 10 tonnes of carbon annually - equivalent to the carbon footprint of approximately 200 Olympic-sized swimming pools, while significantly reducing maintenance and running costs, ensuring the club's sustainability for years to come.
Research also revealed common phrases respondents used to describe local facilities - which included ‘tired’, ‘dated’, and ‘run down’ - by those who considered their local facilities past their best.
Despite this, locals use them an average of six times-a-month, believing them to promote physical health, developing youth, and encouraging local interaction.
The average Brit has experienced at least one sports facility close in their area in the last five years - with six in 10 believing that facilities should be receiving more funding.
Swimming, walking, and football were the most engaged sports and activities, according to the survey, carried out via OnePoll.
While 21 per cent would like to see a pool opened in their area, as well as a multi-purpose complex or tennis courts.
Maintenance costs, government funding cuts, and financial pressures on local authorities were viewed as the biggest challenges facing sporting facilities across the UK.
Hamish Phillips, from British Gas, added: "Our research highlighted a clear need for support in local sports facilities.
“By stepping in to save Yeovil Olympiads, we’ve not only ensured its future but also showcased the substantial benefits of sustainability.
“We know how important sports facilities are to local communities and, through our Energy for Tomorrow fund, we will be investing £1 million over the next few years in upgrading these facilities and helping them become more sustainable with lower energy costs."
They visited the Yeovil Athletics Arena, in Somerset, alongside Team GB swimmer James Guy and ParalympicsGB athlete Aled Davies, which was on the verge of closure earlier this year due to financial pressures.
Almost 15,000 locals signed a petition to save the club due to being left on the brink as part of efforts by Somerset County Council to save £100 million.
British Gas [https://www.britishgas.co.uk/about-us/partnerships] responded by implementing high-tech, energy-efficient upgrades that not only secured the club's future - but also significantly reduced its operating costs.
It comes after research, of 2,000 adults, found 88 per cent consider their local sports hub a fundamental part of their community.
But 35 per cent believe theirs is 'outdated', and 41 per cent worry it could be shut down without further funding.
The transformation is part of the brand’s broader effort of ‘Powering Home Fans’, a purpose-driven initiative launched in the run-up to the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Through their long-term partnership with Team GB and ParalympicsGB, the energy provider is looking to drive positive change in local communities by promoting sustainable energy use and supporting communities through sport.
Speaking at the revamped club, British Gas project ambassador Mark Wright, said: "It's fantastic to see this sporting facility get a much-needed refresh.
“These places are crucial for physical and mental health and bring people together.
“With the Olympic and Paralympic Games around the corner, these upgraded facilities will inspire young people to pursue their dreams of competing at an elite level."
The recent enhancements to the club's facilities, encompassing the installation of new solar panels, improved insulation, new doors and windows, external cladding - and a comprehensive makeover of the clubhouse, bathrooms, and changing rooms, have transformed it into a modern, sustainable, accessible and future-proof hub.
These upgrades are projected to save up to 10 tonnes of carbon annually - equivalent to the carbon footprint of approximately 200 Olympic-sized swimming pools, while significantly reducing maintenance and running costs, ensuring the club's sustainability for years to come.
Research also revealed common phrases respondents used to describe local facilities - which included ‘tired’, ‘dated’, and ‘run down’ - by those who considered their local facilities past their best.
Despite this, locals use them an average of six times-a-month, believing them to promote physical health, developing youth, and encouraging local interaction.
The average Brit has experienced at least one sports facility close in their area in the last five years - with six in 10 believing that facilities should be receiving more funding.
Swimming, walking, and football were the most engaged sports and activities, according to the survey, carried out via OnePoll.
While 21 per cent would like to see a pool opened in their area, as well as a multi-purpose complex or tennis courts.
Maintenance costs, government funding cuts, and financial pressures on local authorities were viewed as the biggest challenges facing sporting facilities across the UK.
Hamish Phillips, from British Gas, added: "Our research highlighted a clear need for support in local sports facilities.
“By stepping in to save Yeovil Olympiads, we’ve not only ensured its future but also showcased the substantial benefits of sustainability.
“We know how important sports facilities are to local communities and, through our Energy for Tomorrow fund, we will be investing £1 million over the next few years in upgrading these facilities and helping them become more sustainable with lower energy costs."
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FunTranscript
00:00Enjoy this Olympic overhaul and a big good luck to Team GB and Paralympics GB this summer.
00:10Hello and welcome to Yeovil Recreation Centre. Just six months ago this place was on the brink of closure
00:16as it faced rising costs and budget cuts from local authorities.
00:20I'm here with British Gas to tackle the challenges facing local sports centres up and down the nation.
00:25With the Olympics and Paralympics just around the corner,
00:27we are powering home fans with an Olympic sized overhaul and giving this club a new lease of life.
00:35Welcome to the home of the Yeovil Olympiads.
00:37The building was built in the 80s. The clubhouse is very expensive to run and to maintain.
00:42The burden on the club has been going up financially in the last few years with inflation.
00:46What you've got here is a community coming together, 15,000 signatures and a petition trying to save this wonderful club.
00:53This was a banner we put together when we were trying to save the facility.
00:57Look at the size of that. They say size don't matter, Jeff. When you're trying to read a very important sign, it definitely does.
01:03The club's a key part of the community here, so it would be devastating if it were lost.
01:07It's time to start removing all the old clutter and ready this clubhouse for its makeover.
01:12Sam, tell me how British Gas can help clubs like this one in Yeovil.
01:15Our energy efficient experts found the infrastructure is really inefficient.
01:19We're really excited to be able to retrofit the club with some energy-saving innovations and help drive down their energy consumption by 82%.
01:2582%? That's a massive number.
01:27It's huge, and it's equivalent to 10 tonnes of carbon every year, which fills nearly 200 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
01:33It will drive down energy bills by about 74% every year.
01:36We're really committed to giving clubs like these the makeovers that they really need.
01:40Can you come round my house and do the same?
01:42I'll send my team.
01:44The British Gas team are hard at work around the clubhouse, installing solar panels, energy storage and LED floodlights to lower electricity costs.
01:52We're replacing their old electric heaters with an energy-efficient air-to-air heat pump and putting better insulation in the roof and the walls,
01:59with thermal bridging and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery systems.
02:03These will help not only lower their heating bill, but help keep the heat in over the winter months.
02:09Jeff, it doesn't quite look the same as the other way, does it, mate?
02:12It's such a transformation. It's fantastic.
02:14The cladding, the insulation, it's unbelievable.
02:17Look at that, Jeffrey. New and improved.
02:20It's amazing. I can't believe what British Gas and their team have done in such a short space of time.
02:25Hamish, what you guys have done is truly sensational.
02:2890% of people consider sports clubs to be fundamental to the local community,
02:33and so we stepped in to do a complete overhaul of the clubhouse to transform the energy profile of the club,
02:39and it helps the local community understand what a low-energy home could be like.
02:44And now we've invited the local community to check out their revamped clubhouse,
02:48with some special guests that just had to come and take a look.
02:53That is, that's what basically you're working towards.
02:57What British Gas, Team GB and Paralympics GB have done here has not only made this place look beautiful,
03:02but also future-proof in it.
03:04For us, this is a big honour as well. To be involved with a project like this is brilliant.
03:08The Olympic Games truly is the greatest show in sport, and all of that comes from starting at a track like this.
03:15Enjoy this Olympic overhaul, and I just want to say a big good luck to Team GB and Paralympics GB.
03:21British Gas will be investing £1 million over the next few years to upgrade sports centres across the country.
03:26This is just the beginning.