Swim Wales warns 150 swimming pools could close能源成本飙升！英国威尔士超三成公共泳池或关门
Nearly a third of the 500 public swimming pools in Wales could close due to high energy bills, the head of swimming’s governing body has warned.英国威尔士地区游泳管理机构负责人提醒，威尔士500个公共游泳池中，近三分之一可能因高额能源账单而关闭。
Fergus Feeney, of Swim Wales, said many needed urgent financial help from the Welsh government, and to be included in the UK’s energy discount scheme. 威尔士游泳协会费格斯•费尼表示，许多游泳馆需要政府紧急财政援助，并被纳入英国能源账单援助计划。
He and not-for-profit operator Freedom Leisure said swimming pools should be classified as intensive energy users.费尼和非盈利组织“自由休闲”表示，游泳池应被归类为高耗能场所。
The UK and Welsh governments said they had given significant support to pools. 英国和威尔士政府表示，他们对游泳池提供了大量支持。
But a scaling back of the UK government’s energy support scheme means the leisure sector is set to lose out. 但英国政府能源账单援助计划削减意味着休闲行业将面临损失。
“We estimate 30% of pools could close without help,” Feeney said. “They’re the ones really close to the bone.”费尼称：“我们估计，如果没有政府援助，30%的泳池可能会关闭。”
Swim Wales said the sport was at an all-time high, with 100,000 children and 400,000 adults swimming every week in Wales. 威尔士游泳协会表示，游泳运动参与人数创下了历史新高，威尔士每周有10万名儿童和40万名成年人游泳。
A tripling of energy bills in 2022 has already led to concerns about the future of many leisure centers.2022年能源账单翻了三倍，这已经引发了人们对许多休闲中心未来的担忧。
Freedom Leisure runs 29 leisure centers on behalf of local councils in Wales, 20 of which have swimming pools. “自由休闲”代表威尔士地方议会运营着29家休闲中心，其中20家设有泳池。
Jeremy Rowe, operations director, said it would cost an extra £3.5m to run them, even after lowering temperatures and raising prices. 运营总监杰里米•罗表示，即使在降低温度和涨价后，游泳池的运行成本还是增加了350万英镑。
The Welsh government said it was “doing all it can” to help with energy bills. “We are calling on UK ministers to include leisure centers and swimming pools in its energy bill discount scheme.”威尔士政府表示，正在“尽一切努力”帮助解决能源问题。“我们呼吁英国政府官员们将休闲中心和游泳池纳入其能源账单折扣计划。”
