Member of the Month – Nairn Community & Arts Centre

For this month’s Member of the Month article, I am lucky enough to be in the same location. My lovely neighbours in the office are the staff of the Nairn Community and Arts Centre, so I grabbed a cuppa and popped next door for a chat.

The Centre, which opened in 2007, is a self-funded charity, with a voluntary Board of Trustees and 7 full/part time staff.
During Lockdown the Centre staff were sad to lose Nicola Mackinlay, but delighted to see that she has gone on to ‘sweet success’ at Makes by Megs.  In January, they welcomed Elaine MacPhail as Admin/Centre Assistant.  Elaine is the perfect fit to the expanding team which includes Sam, Heather, Rhona, Gary, Ron and Sarah.  
The Centre is home to numerous community groups who use its facilities for various activities and classes.  It is also a function venue, hosting performances, exhibitions, meetings, and conferences.

Throughout each lockdown and subsequent restrictions, the staff kept in contact with the Community by hosting new online events, which are still available to view on their website. During Lockdown they embarked on a programme of internal renovations and improvements to the centre to make it more inviting and sustainable, which was made possible by the support of the Davidson Trust. These improvements were made using local tradesmen and businesses to carry out the work.

Over the last couple of years, the Board and staff have been actively looking at ways to become more sustainable and reduce their carbon footprint.  Funding was secured to install LED lighting throughout the building and upgrade the Theatre/stage lighting.  Solar panels and batteries were installed which has resulted in reduced energy costs. In 2021 the Nairn Community and Arts Centre, along with Green Hive, Nairn BID and Nairn Bowling Club won Scotland Loves Local’s Climate Town Award for their efforts in reducing carbon emissions and encouraging sustainability. 

Community is at the heart of everything the Community and Arts Centre do. They have friendly staff who are always willing to help, a beautiful building which can host anything from a show or ceilidh right through to business meetings in its multiple rooms which are available to hire through their website.

Creative Scotland funding during Lockdown enabled the Centre to create a new Arts/Events position. This allowed them to move forward with their long term aim to increase their creative provision.  By curating continuous monthly Art Exhibitions, the footfall through the Centre has increased. With a full events calendar combined with the art exhibitions there is plenty for everyone to choose from. There is also a full listing of activities and classes.

The Nairn Community and Arts Centre team would like to give a heartfelt thanks to the people of Nairn for their support during all the mayhem of Covid-19 and look forward to seeing familiar and new faces attending events, exhibitions, meetings, classes, and activities. To stay up to date with everything that’s going on at the Nairn Community & Arts Centre, sign up for their monthly newsletter via their website or keep an eye on Facebook for upcoming events.