Community projects in Nairnshire receive funding boost
Five organisations serving communities in the area have received a total of £32,576 in the latest round of funding from the Haventus Ardersier Port Community Benefit Fund.
The awards reflect the breadth of need across the communities which the Fund serves - from youth wellbeing and outdoor learning to arts provision, heritage conservation, and mental health support. Awards are made by a local decision making panel, drawn from the four community councils in the Fund area - Petty and Ardersier, Cawdor and West Nairnshire, Croy and Culloden Moor and Nairn West and Suburban. This locally-led approach ensures that funding stays rooted in the needs and priorities of these communities.
The Nairn Community and Arts Centre received the largest award of £10,000 to help cover essential running costs including utilities, staffing, equipment maintenance and overheads, ensuring the Centre remains open, accessible and affordable for the community.
Bob Ferenth, Chair of Nairn Community and Arts Centre said:
“The funding from Haventus has been vital in helping to keep the Nairn Community & Arts Centre open, welcoming and accessible at a time when rising costs threaten its future. This support has helped ensure that over 50 community groups and 65,000 annual visitors continue to have a place to meet, connect and belong. Without this funding, many of these groups - particularly those supporting vulnerable people - would have faced increased costs or reduced services. For many individuals, the Centre is more than a building, it is a lifeline. Older people living alone, individuals with disabilities, carers and young people continue to find friendship, support and a sense of purpose within its walls. The grant has helped protect these connections, reducing isolation and strengthening the well-being and resilience of the community at a time when it is needed most.”
Growing2gether was awarded £8,576 to deliver its Nursery Mentoring programme, supporting disadvantaged young people in Nairn with a structured approach to building quality of life and wellbeing at an early stage.
Gavin Morgan Co-CEO at Growing2gether said:
“We are delighted and grateful to the Haventus Ardersier Port Community Fund, which is enabling us to deliver our Nursery Mentoring programme, pairing teenagers from Nairn Academy with nursery / P1 children from Millbank Primary School. The teenagers gain valuable work experience, a sense of achievement and a positive growth mind-set in their mentoring to children and an SCQF qualification. The children gain a valuable mentor to support them. The programme helps improve mental health and wellbeing for young people and children who may not otherwise get this type of experience. A special thank you to both Nairn Academy and Millbank Primary School for their support of this programme, achieved through the Haventus Ardersier Port Community Benefit Fund.”
Blue Space Highland will receive £4,000 towards its Blue Start 2026 programme, funding and expanding a year of blue space, water-based activity alongside organisational development for referred participants, with a focus on health and wellbeing outcomes.
Nairn Academy Parent Council will receive £5,000 to contribute to the creation of A Quiet Space - a new memorial garden at Nairn Academy, featuring a wooden memorial and bespoke benching with planters, offering a reflective and social environment for young people, bereaved families and the wider community.
Nairn United Reformed Church was awarded £5,000 towards the replacement of three sets of leaded-style windows, restoring the building’s structural integrity, improving its energy efficiency, and securing its continued use as both a place of worship and a community facility.
The Ardersier Port Community Benefit Fund is provided by Haventus, and is administered by Foundation Scotland. The Fund provides £100,000 per year - rising in line with inflation - for a period of ten years, representing a commitment of more than £1 million to local communities over its lifetime.
David Logie, Chief People Officer at Haventus said:
“We’re proud to support projects that make a real difference to people living within the local community. Through our Community Benefit Fund, we’re able to invest in initiatives that strengthen community connections, support local organisations and help create lasting benefits for the area.”
The Fund supports charitable activity that enhances quality of life, promotes community spirit, and contributes to vibrant, healthy and sustainable communities. It is open to groups and organisations working to benefit people in the community council areas of Ardersier and Petty, Cawdor, Croy and Culloden Moor, and West Nairn and Suburban. The Fund operates two tiers of grant-making: small grants of between £200 and £1,000, which can be applied for at any time, and large grants of up to £10,000, which are open for applications four times each year.
To find out more, including eligibility and application details, visit the Fund's information page