"Grants available to help nurture Nairnshire!"

Nairn Highland Councillors have set aside £25,000 from the local Ward Discretionary budget to let the local community decide for themselves which projects are needed in their area.

Community and voluntary groups in Nairnshire are being encouraged to think of projects that add value to their day-to-day activities. Grants of £200 – £2,500 will be available for groups to put these ideas into action.

Any local community, voluntary or non-profit group can apply; projects can be large or small and should aim to make Nairnshire a better place. The funding can be used to fund new projects or go toward bigger projects or ideas.

Projects that meet the eligibility criteria will be asked to present their ideas at a ‘Nurturing Nairnshire’ community event on Saturday 12 March, 10am in the Community and Arts Centre, King Street, Nairn, where local people will collectively agree what projects should be supported.

Provost of Nairn, Councillor Laurie Fraser speaking on behalf of Nairn Ward Members said: “This is a chance for the local community to make decisions about how funds are allocated at a local level, by empowering the community to make decisions on projects that are most important to the local area.

“In Nairn, there are a lot of successful community and voluntary organisations, and I would encourage them all to think about submitting an application - the process is easy and support is available.”

Application forms can be downloaded from The Highland Council Website at:

http://www.highland.gov.uk/NurturingNairnshire

or collected from the Nairn Service Point, Library or Community Centre.

Anyone requiring further information or assistance with the application please contact:

Sam Morrison, Nairn Community & Arts Centre - 01667 453476

Shona McDonald, Youth Development Officer - 07825116484

Lizbeth Main, Sign-post - 01667 455234

The deadline for applications is 5pm Wednesday 17 February 2016