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 – Nairn Book & Arts Festival
For our Member of the Month we managed to grab some time with Tanera Bryden, the Creative Coordinator and Arts Group Chair for the Nairn Book & Arts Festival. We had loads of questions to ask, so read on for the answers!
When did the Book and Arts Festival start?
Back in the early 2000’s George Gray began the festival and it was more aimed at being a book event in connection with Nairn book shop. From there the event has evolved to encompass the arts as well as books. After George stepped back from the event a committee of volunteers continued to run the event and push it forward. Over time the festival moved to the Nairn Community & Arts Centre and appointed Angela McOwan as Coordinator in 2009. Currently the festival has 2 employees, Tanera, and Lainey who both work part time, the rest of the festival is staffed by volunteers and committee members.
What happened during and post covid?
During the early days of Covid all live events had to be cancelled. As a result, the festival had to be creative to find a way to exist in this lockdown world of isolation. Moving online was a logical option but didn’t come without considerations. In 2020, a mini online festival was held with authors doing online talks, the Nairn Museum produced a short video, Black Isle Bronze, and William Mather both gave online studio tours. This had the unexpected benefit of increasing the reach of the festival with people viewing from everywhere across the internet. There have also been online exhibitions both on the festival site with specially created pages and on Instagram.
When restrictions eased slightly and outdoor events were allowed again, in 2021 Vision Mechanics brought Storm to visit Nairn. This was the first major outdoor event in the region since the pandemic started and it was a spectacle to see. She made STV news and brought national attention to the festival.
What’s happening this year?
This year the festival is back to its more conventional format with a multitude of events all over town. The festival would like to encourage more businesses to host events if they would like to. The event continues to progress with an expanding outreach programme involving the 4 local primary schools, Nairn Academy, and UHI. A full listing of this year’s Book & Arts festival events can be found here.
It all starts with the High Street Takeover on Saturday 27th August when Nairn High Street will be closed off to cars and become a wonderland of stories and imagination, with folk being asked to come in fancy dress! The event goes on all day with storytelling, street performers, musical performances, and a parade (including silk flags created in conjunction with Kinetika).
Events go on all week, in many venues – it’s a veritable mini-Edinburgh! – and culminate in the festival finale on the Links next Sunday the 4th.
How can we help?
While the team are grateful and value their volunteers, they could always do with a few more hands to help things along. If you feel you’d be able to volunteer and help take the Book and Arts Festival to new heights , or if you have ideas about how your business could programme its own events during festival week, or host festival events, please contact Tanera at info@nairnfestival.co.uk.
To see previous Member of the Month articles click here.
