Community Regeneration Funding awarded to Nairnshire organisations

Nairnshire Committee Members considered and assessed applications submitted to the area’s Community Regeneration Fund.

The successful applicants were the Nairn Improvement Community Enterprise (NICE) (who secured £11,000 for their TeamHamish Nairn Links Regeneration project) and Nairn BID (who secured £5,093.53) for the Nairn Heritage Trail project.

Community Regeneration Funding is an umbrella term for a number of funds that are available for communities/organisations to access in Highland.  It comprises elements of the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund along with the Highland Coastal Communities Fund and the Place Based Investment Programme, both of which are Scottish Government Funding streams to support economic regeneration and sustainable development in Highland.

Councillor Michael Green, Chair of the Nairnshire Area Committee, congratulated the successful applicants and said: “We are delighted to be able support NICE and Nairn BID – these organisations have sound plans in place to deliver projects for the benefit of the local community and have a great deal of backing from residents throughout the area.

“For NICE in particular, today’s award marks the completion of their fundraising for this phase of the project and will enable this to get underway during the Spring.”

£11,000 was awarded to the Nairn Improvement Community Enterprise (NICE) for the second phase of the TeamHamish Nairn Links Regeneration.  This project, which is due to commence from March 2024, will involve redevelopment of the area of the Links currently occupied by the existing putting green, crazy mini golf and adjacent banking and grassed areas.  Through a holistic approach, NICE aims to revitalise the existing area and utilise the natural environment to enhance how these areas are currently used, encouraging a more integrated and cohesive purpose for both individual contemplation and social interaction through the creation of a journey of connecting spaces and places.

Meanwhile, Nairn BID was awarded £5,093.53 for its Heritage Trail project, which will replace and augment Nairn’s heritage interpretation boards and create a Heritage Trail, backed up by online resources and interactivity.  The project is designed to help visitors to the area learn more about Nairn’s heritage, while providing local people a sense of ownership and input into the way in which the town’s heritage is presented.