Opt-in membership is available to businesses that either exist out-with the catchment area of Nairn BID, or whose property’s rateable value lies below the £1000 threshold, but still wish to support the BID and receive most of the benefits that members do. As Nairn BID exists for the improvement of Nairn as a whole then supporting the BID can be a valuable way of saying to your customers that you as a business are contributing to making Nairn a better place.
Opt-in members receive the same benefits as other members, they just don’t have the voting rights that levy area businesses do when it comes to the renewal ballot for the BID. For the five year business plan which outlines the main areas of spending and objectives of Nairn BID, please click here.
They can apply for free stalls at our events and markets, benefit from free marketing and promotion (website listing, social media sharing and member of the month), and attend our meetings, business workshops and networking events.
Nairn BID organises street markets along the High Street several times a year. The BID also runs Taste of Nairn, Wheels of Nairn and the Countdown to Christmas events.
If you think your business would benefit by being part of the BID and you would like to join, please fill in our application form. You can also send us a photograph and listing wording for the VisitNairn website.
Opt-in membership starts from £125 a year. Membership runs for our financial year from 1st October to 30th September. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to get in touch – office@nairnconnects.com
Member of the Month – Barrow Campsite
This month we feature Ewan McConachie, the owner and founder of Barrow Campsite which lies on the outskirts of Nairn on the back road, B9091, as you drive out towards Clephanton.
Ewan founded the campsite six years ago on his family farm. While Ewan was off travelling the world, he always wanted to return home and do something positive to diversify. His ethos is very much around giving back to travellers and paying it forward. He has travelled extensively – the most recent trip being a mammoth trip from Europe to the ‘Stans on his little motorbike.
He said: “I’ve been helped along the way on my travels by so many people and I wanted to create something here in Scotland which would enable travellers to feel welcome and help them create happy memories,” – this has been vindicated as he reports that even though people sometimes only book for one night, they often end up staying a lot longer.
The site offers 32 hardstanding pitches, 15 of which are “superpitches” with electricity, drainage, and their own water supply. There are nine grass electric pitches, three glamping pods and a ‘nearly wild camping area’ for tents and small campers/roof tents. Here they can enjoy the feeling of space with open views. It’s a peaceful, family site, very dog friendly, with its own pond and named after a bronze age Barrow which is on site and marked on maps as “Hangman’s Cairn” – very grizzly!
No such danger these days as Stand-up Paddleboard lessons are offered in partnership with Paddlebliss Nairn on the pond. The Farm is home to a veritable menagerie of animals: 7 goats, 2 alpacas, and 3 Highland coos, and has a new children’s playground for 2023. To add to the “glamping” pods, there will be some solar powered, off grid, “skyview” pods coming soon!
Ewan giving the paddleboarding a try
Ewan runs the campsite along with his partner Lynne and his two sons, Oilver (4) and Cameron (3) and a team of much valued staff. Matriarch Linda keeps everyone in order and has been there since the year dot making sure the facilities are up to scratch. The site is managed on a daily basis by Gary and Karl who do an amazing job, zipping around on a golf buggy, fixing things and making sure everything is ship shape, as well as manning the new shop which stocks local products such as Forbes Farm fresh meat, Milton free range eggs and Ken Grant’s local honey – as well as the very necessary beer travellers all need after a long day on the road!
They are also recruiting for a cleaner at the moment, so if you’re on the lookout for work, head over to their FB page asap!
Barrow prides itself on fantastic customer satisfaction which is maintained by its excellent staff.
Ewan offers a service whereby people who have been wild camping or are just passing by, can pay to have a shower, and empty their wastewater, sanitation, and rubbish/recycling. As a place which can take up to 60 families at any one time, waste disposal is a big part of the job and Ewan takes his responsibilities with rubbish and recycling very seriously, wanting to keep the environment as safe and clean as possible, and investing in the local area. But this capacity means he is bringing a large number of people in to spend money in the local economy, so this is very welcome!
As an opt-in member to Nairn BID, he is one of our biggest supporters. He says “I really value everything the BID does and want to support it. We value the tourist information which is provided via the VisitNairn site and channels which means we never have to update things ourselves, as well as our listing on it which brings people to us. The physical improvements BID has made to Nairn have been great to see, with a place which once looked scruffy, down at heel and unloved now coming back to its former glory as a vibrant spa town, with a unique community feel, many independent shops, and its own charm.”
He also really enjoys being part of the local business community, wanting to encourage his guests to visit other local businesses (the BID – supplied map is very useful here) and shop local. He attends our business breakfasts and wants other tourism businesses to visit and feel free to drop their leaflets for him to display in the reception/shop.
He is looking forward to having the BID fighting Nairn’s corner when the bypass does eventually come and Nairn will need to be signposted well to give people a reason to come off that road to visit. Other plans he has are for a pump track, the sky pods, more and more tree planting and to just keep on developing and doing new things to improve the site – watch this space!
